NEVER WALK ALONE
by HORSMANOFWAR
Summary: He was surrounded by darkness he tried to run and as he did the darkness started to fade and was replaced by forest, and he was running through the forest crashing through anything and everything in his path. "LEFTENANT" he screamed as loud as he could " LEFTENANT IM COMING". "CRANE". She screamed as he ran into the clearing just in time to see the horseman slice her chest open.
1. THE BEGINNING

**NEVER WALK ALONE**

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **Hey so I haven't updated this story for a while which I apologize for it has been a mix of me having writers block for this story, Working on a couple other stories which I should have up in the coming months and the fact that I moved states and was without internet and a computer for like two months. I have updated chapter 23 and combined it with chapter 24 cause they were both pretty short and at the end I said I would have a new chapter up in a week. Unfortunately I may not be able to hold true to that because I kept a lot of my work on my I pad which died on me last week, But despite everything I am working on some new stuff so don't worry this story is no where near ending so please stay tuned. - M**

The drive up to the cabin was silent, Too silent but no one knew what to say and to her it didn't feel like the right time to say anything. Crane had lost so much before today and now he had literally lost everything. His family was gone and she was partly to blame, She knew he more than ever would need a shoulder to lean on and intended to be there for him as he had been there for her in the past.

She looked over her shoulder to see how he was holding up, He was a lot better than she had expected. She knew if it was her in his position she would be putting an axe to something by now. She also knew that if it were her in his position he would be doing anything and everything in his power to make her pain go away. She knew she should say something and there were so many things to say but when it came down to it she couldn't bring herself to voice a single word and so she didn't. Instead of trying to use words to heal his hurt she placed her hand over his, Entwining their fingers. She had expected for him to at least pull away after all she had been the one to shoot Henry, Killed his only son. That alone was an unforgivable act and she wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to her again, But on top of that he had killed Katrina, His wife who he loved through thick and thin, Past the bonds of their marriage vows to save her. But he didn't pull away, It was strange, Unnerving even how quiet he was, Seemingly oblivious to her touch.

He felt her place her hand atop his, Entwining their fingers but he didn't move a muscle or say a single word, What was there to say Henry was the Horseman of war, He was the enemy and he had to be dealt with sooner or later. He was just thankful that in the end it wasn't him taking the shot. Although he knew well and true in his mind that Henry was not his son, His heart would never truly accept that Jeremy was in fact gone, lost forever and that he would never be able to meet him. That was one of the many reasons he was was thankful to have Abbie by his side in this fight, She did the things he could not and he would do the same for her, Even if in the end that meant him loosing everything that once was.

As for Katrina in the days leading to her death he had thought about everything, Truly thought about it and had come to realise how stupid he was for thinking that he had actually brought his wife into this time unchanged, And that they would go on living happy lives as if nothing had ever happened. He knew now that the Katrina he knew, The one he loved, The one who truly loved him was gone and he had since made peace with that. He knew from the day he pulled her from purgatory that this Katrina was different, That place had changed her, She had been twisted and haunted by grief for so long that she was no longer the same. She made her own choice, She chose to turn to the darkness, To turn her back on everything that they had been and everything they could have been and made for themselves in this time and as if that wasn't enough she had tried to kill Abbie, Twice and the second time she had left him no choice.

So for them he felt no remorse, But what was eating away at him inside was the woman who sat beside him. He had put the pieces together and reasoned that the portal she and Katrina had jumped through had taken them back to his time, But it was no that which bothered him. It was the fear he saw in her eyes when he was apprehending Katrina, As if she believed there was a chance he would choose Katrina over her even after everything she had done.

" Thank you " He said just above a whisper, Turning to face the woman who sat beside him never letting his hand leave hers.

" What? " She asked turning her whole body to face him whilst still getting over the fact he had actually spoken after being silent the entire trip.

" Thank you " He repeated a little louder.

" I heard you, I mean what for? " She asked.

He held her gaze as he spoke so he was sure she knew he meant every word with every inch of his being.

" You risked your life to save me, You and no idea what was waiting for you when you went after Katrina yet you jumped anyway, without even a second thought. For that i will be forever grateful and eternally in your debt " He said sincerely.

She stared deep into his eyes as if she was searching his soul, They had always been able to tell how eachother were feeling, What they was thinking, It was just a thing the two of them did, Read each other like open books. But in this moment, Right now she couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just being a gentleman, Attempting to make her feel less guilty.

" And you chose to kill the woman you loved to save me Crane, Debt repaid and i do understand if you don't want to see me for a while " She said flatly, eyes dropping to the floor no longer able to hold his gaze, fearing the hatred that would appear at the mention of Katrina's name.

He stopped at a total loss for words, Was unsure of what to say and do next.

 _Did she truly feel that way?_

 _Of course she did she always felt responsible that was just her nature, But surely she couldn't think that i would blame her?_

 _That must have been why she was so fearful i would choose Katrina's life over hers≥_

" Abbie " He said softly hoping she would glance back at him. She didn't respond so he gently lifted her chin with his finger so he could look down into her eyes. They held eachothers gaze and he knew she blamed herself, She didn't have to say anything he could see it in her eyes.

" Abbie " He said softly " The woman i loved died 250 years ago, Promise me you will never blame yourself for my mistake ".

All she could could do was nod in response as a tear rolled down her cheek, Which he gently wiped away before wrapping his arms around yes tiny frame, Pulling her to his chest.

" I promise" she whispered into his shoulder, Leaning into his embrace, Letting herself he held in the arms of the one who meant the most to her as she laid her head on his shoulder, Sobbing and eventually drifting to sleep.

He sat holding her in his arms until they had reached the cabin, By which point he had realised she had fallen asleep. He looked up to see that Jenny was staring back at them.

" Thank you for the transportation Miss Jenny " He said reaching his hand up to tap Abbie on the shoulder.

" NO " She said holding her hand out to stop him from waking her sister " She should stay here tonight, With you ".

He pulled his band back and gave Jenny a questioning look.

" I just mean you two are always better off when you are together, Besides after what you both have been through today neither of you should be alone, She won't admit it but she needs you " She said and he could hear the concern and sincerity in her voice, A combination very rarely used by the woman. He looked between the two sisters turning the idea over in his head.

" Of course, Some company is probably a good idea ".

She smiled and leaned forward into the back of the car, Unclipping both seat belts. He quietly jumped out of the car and circled around the car to Abbie's door, After slowly opening the door, Making sure she wouldn't fall, He gently slipped his hands under her knees and neck, Lifting her from the seat and out of the vehicle.

" I will see you guys tomorrow, Oh and Crane i'm really sorry about, You know, Everything that happened " She said flashing a quick smile.

" Thank you Miss Jenny, Until tomorrow " He said slightly bowing his head.

" Until tomorrow " she mocked shutting the door behind him.

He chuckled slightly, Turning his back and beginning the short walk to the cabins porch.

She woke and quickly realised she was being carried, Immediately she opened her eyes and saw Crane looking down at her a smile on his face.

" WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU- " She started before he cut in.

" I apologise Miss Mills as this is the most improper but you fell asleep in the motorised vehicle and Miss Jenny insisted that you spend the night " He said looking down at her with those beautiful blue eyes that sparkled no matter what light they were in. The smile slowly disappearing.

" Okay " she said softly stretching the word out as he walked through the cabins threshold. What ever anger she had first held about carrying her when she first woke up had since evaporated within seconds of looking into his eyes. He gently placed her down onto the couch and made his way towards the kitchen.

" Would you like some tea? " He called.

" Sure " she said sitting up on the couch and removing her boots, Leaving them at the head of the couch. Neither said a word after that as he prepared the tea but they had a mutual understanding that it wasn't an awkward silence but more of an understanding silence, They both had a lot to process about the previous couple of days. It wasn't until he took a seat next her on the couch bearing two mugs of tea that the silence was broken.

" Leftenant would you be amenable to speaking about your experience?" He asked cautious not to be to pushy as he handed her a mug keeping the one she had gotten him for Christmas last years to himself. She took it with a gracious smile.

" You do not have to if you do not wish to " He added.

" No, no it's okay " She said.

" The is something else bothering you? " He asked suddenly terrified that something traumatic had occurred while she was gone.

" No " She said quickly trying to put his sudden panic at ease " It just feels almost like i invaded your privacy, You know like i saw the.. Other side of you ". He knew exactly what she meant, In his time he had been a different man to the one he was today, Since waking up in this time and since meeting Abbie he had changed, For the better, He hoped. She looked up from her mug and knew that the topic was making her partner uncomfortable so in an attempt to change it she began to tell him of her experience of the day he had died.

" So that portal that Katrina opened, Turns out that was for a travellers spell which took us back to 1781, The day you died. By the time i realised where, More like when i was, I was being arrested because they suspected em to be a runaway slave. When they took me to the prison i told them i had information on the war but that i would only speak to Captain Ichabod Crane. They tried to get me to speak to some other people but i wouldn't budge and so eventually they brought you in. Obviously i couldn't just straight out tell you that i was your fellow witness come back from the future to stop your wife who was a witch from killing you so you could be killed by the horseman of death instead so i used my knowledge of the war to convince you i was valuable enough to keep but eventually you got given orders to escort me to an encampment for run away slaves but on the way you gave me a chance and i convinced you to take me to Franklin, Told you he would be able to back up my story " She said pausing to take a sip of tea.

" You got to meet Benjamin Franklin? " He asked. She looked up from her tea and slowly nodded knowing what was coming next " And what did you think of him? " He asked a sly smile appearing on his face.

" Oh don't get jealous Crane your still my favourite founding father " She teased. His face went serious as he replayed her words in his head.

" Leftenant, I am not one of the founding father " He clarified.

" Oh please if the horseman hadn't of killed you you would be on the front of every history book ".

" Something i won't turn down a million times over if it meant i didn't meet you " He said sincerely.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled a smile that said all the words her tongue was too tied to say.

 _' You mean the world to me '_

 _' I wouldn't give you up for the world '_

 _' You the best partner someone could ask for '_

 _' I love you '_

Although that last part might have gotten lost in translation.

She cleared her throat " Anyway, We went to Franklin and he backed up my story and he told me we needed to go see Grace, That she could reverse the spell-" She started before he cut in.

" Grace? You mean Grace Dixon? You got to meet her? " Hew asked the amazement clear in his voice.

" Yes but before we could go see her with Franklin the Horseman showed up, He must have been tracking us somehow and he killed Franklin and burnt-" She said stopping mid sentence and pulling her phone from her pocket.

" Miss Mills what are you doing? " He asked trying to snatch her phones from her hands.

" Checking " she said pulling he phone back " Something " She finished still managing to keep the phone from his grasp despite her eyes never leaving the screen, Finally she had read what she needed and slid her phone back into it's pocket.

" Care to explain? " H asked after she didn't say anything.

" I had to make sure the spell set everything back how it was suppose to be, And luckily Franklin did not die in 1781 ".

" Oh, well now that we have that out of the way " He said gesturing to continue.

" Right well because i was there when Franklin was there and i had suggested it you thought i was a spy so you put me back in ja-" He cut her off again.

" OH LEFTENANT DO NOT TELL ME I HARMED YOU " He said patting her down checking for any injuries, He knew just how suspected spies were treated and that was when they hadn't been blamed for the death of one of the greatest minds of the colonies.

" Crane " She said grabbing hold of and pushing away his hands " Don't worry you didn't lay a finger on me, You just wouldn't listen to me. I tried to get you to check my phone because there was proof of my identity on there but you wouldn't listen, Still grieving i guess but then you got relieved from duty. While you were gone the sutton came back to do god knows what to me but thanks to recent advances in hand in hand combat i tendered him unconscious in seconds " She said proudly a smile starting to form as the memories came back " Then you came running in saying I'VE COME TO SAVE YOU! " She said giggling.

" Only to find that you had saved yourself. Not surprising you are an extraordinary woman Miss Mills " He said sincerely causing her to blush a little " But what caused me to return? ".

" You never actually told me the fully story just that when you went home and found Katrina you knew something was wrong and that she must have been pregnant, Oh all that and the fact you saw the Grand Grimiore on your dining room table, So you came back and checked my phone and you found a video of us ".

" Oh no, Not the one in which i attempted to create a still picture " He wined " You said you deleted that ".

" I lied " She said with a sheepish grin " Anyway we went to Fredericks Manor to see Grace and she reversed the spell which brought us back to modern day.

She watched him looking lost in thought.

" That is why Katrina said her being here was your doing? " He asked turning to her. She nodded to confirm his suspicion " And that is why she went after you and not me " He asked more like a statement looking up to her with saddened eyes. " Why? Why jump through a portal not knowing what was on the other side? " He asked.

" What do you mean why? Your life was in danger it didn't matter what was waiting for me on the other side " She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, Bring her knees up onto the couch and to her chest.

" It matters to me, You could have been hurt, Or worse, Lost forever ".

" And if i didn't you would have definitely been dead and this time Katrina wouldn't have saved you, Then where would we be?" She said. He looked as if he were considering her words, Turning them over in his head but she knew he would never be happy with the fact she did all that to save him.

" I am truly sorry you have to endure all of that to save me ". He said softly.

" You know it's not your fault and you would have done the exact same thing for me " She said sincerely patting him on the shoulder.

" I could have been less blinded by the fact Katrina was my wife and realised that she was going to lash out and do something like this, She nearly killed you twice " He said raising his voice but she knew it was not her that he was angry with, It was himself.

" Hey none of us saw that coming ".

" Miss Jenny did, You did, I know you never trusted her not with your life not with mine and yet i still let myself be blinded and misguided by my love for her which as it turned out she was willing to throw away at a moments notice, Which nearly resulted in you getting killed ". He cried, Turning to face the wall no longer able to look into her eyes.

She could see that all the emotions he had been trying to suppress from the past days was now coming back to the surface. " Crane listen to me, None of that matters now okay because it's all over now, we're both here and we are both okay and that's all that matters " She said. He turned back to face her and they held each others gaze for so long that time melted away and became a meaningless number until they both looked down to their now entwined hands. As he looked at their hands he knew she was what he needed in this life to guide him, to balance him out, to keep him sane and he couldn't help thinking that this was how it was meant to be after all their paths had been entwined from the very start. Silence fell between the two and all she could think about was how alone he must feel. " I'm sorry you lost your family, But you know you will never be alone as long as i am around ".

" Abbie i didn't lose my family today, They dies along time ago and i have made peace with that, My family is our team, My family is you" He said sincerely. They fell back into silence as his words dissolved into the surrounding air.

He could never imagine how much his words affected her, Even the smallest things like the way he said her name ignited a flame inside her soul, One she tried to extinguish but that sometimes threatened to escape. She hadn't always felt this way he use to be just her partner but after he tried to kill himself to stop the Horseman, The day she thought she had actually lost him she realised how big a part of her life he had become in such a small amount of time. But now she knew she couldn't live without him by her side.


	2. THE VISIT

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was in the forest of purgatory running and running not daring to look back to the creature that chased him. It was the same dream he had every night and each night he lived just a little more of it. He runs until he can't take another step and that's when the forest surrounding him turns to blackness like an abyss that threatens to swallow him if he so much as takes another step. He closes his eyes and when he opens them she is standing in front, his beautiful leftenant. He had fallen in love with her in this crazy world that much he knew. He had known it since the day he nearly lost her to the weeping lady. So much had transpired that day, he learnt of yet another secret that Katrina had been keeping from him and this one tipped him over the edge, for on this day he learnt that Katrina had lied to him about the death of a woman he loved as his own sister. She sees him and lets out a sigh of relief. " Crane " she breaths as she looks at him as though she hasn't seen him in years but their reunion is cut short because she freezes and her gaze is no longer focused on him but past him. He turns around and sees Katrina except it's not Katrina he knows that from all the times he has had this dream it is moloch disguised as her. He knows what he must do, he turns around and sprints as fast as he can towards Abbie, once he reaches her he hauls her over his shoulder and continues to run as fast as he can, he knows she is more than capable of running but last time he was here she was pulled beneath the earth by a lost soul. He hears the creature running after them knocking down entire trees as it hurls itself towards them. He hears an ear piercing screech that is worse than the pied pipers weapon and drops to his knees, his only thought being to protect Abbie he throws himself over her and braces for what he expects to be the first of many blows.

He woke up on the couch his eyes darting open as he gasped for air. He spun around at the sound of the door behind him swinging shut expecting to see someone there, but he finds no one. He looked over his shoulder to see that Abbie had fallen asleep and that her head rested on his shoulder. He carefully made his way out from beneath her, gently laying her head on the arm of the couch and covering her in a blanket before venturing out into the cool night air to make sure no evil was lurking about.

He stood in the cold night air a good ten minutes before he was satisfied that he had simply failed to properly latch the door last night after he carried Abbie into the house. He quietly made his way back into the cabin this time double checking that the door was latched and locked. He returned to the couch and found his dear Leftenant sleeping peacefully. He couldn't help but take all of her beauty in, it was moments like this that made him want to confess all of his feelings right then and there there had been many occasions just like this one where he came so close to giving her his heart on a silver platter but the fear of rejection terrified him and he would never let anything come between their bond, no matter how much he longed to hold her and kiss her beautiful lips and stroke her hair, but no he must let anything come between them even if sometimes all he dreamt about was holding her and freeing her from all her pain and suffering.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of murmuring coming from his partner. He knelt down by her side and carefully watched as she squirmed, her brows furrowed. He knew she must be having a nightmare, she got them regularly he knew that but she never told exactly how often, he knew she was probably trying to keep him from getting worried. It wasn't until she screamed his name that he decided to wake her up.

" Leftenant" he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder, when she wouldn't respond he shook her shoulder a bit harder. " Abbie " he tried, this time her eyes shot open and once she realised who he was she wrapped her arms around his neck so tight he missed a breath. He wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her down. " It's alright, i'm here now, you're here with me, your safe" he said softly.

At the sound of his voice she began to calm down and her breaths came easier, now she was here with him she knew she was safe. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and looked up to his eyes. " Did i wake you?" she asked softly.

" No " he said moving to sit next to her on the couch still keeping one arm around her shoulder. " Nightmare?" he asked although they both knew the answer.

" Yeah" she said weakly as if she might cry at any moment. He noticed the tone of her voice and his heart broke for her, he had never seen her so disturbed by a nightmare. " It is alright, your here with me now, i wont allow anything to harm you" he promised. She leaned into his chest and he wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulder pulling her closer while she slowly fell asleep in the safety of his arms. Once he was sure she had fallen asleep he moved his arm up from her waist to her neck and slid his other hand under her knees gently lifting her from the couch and proceeding to carry her into the bedroom. He knew she wouldn't mind especially considering there was only one bed and he would never allow her to sleep on the couch. He gently placed her on the side of the bed nearest to the door and covered her with the blankets before he put on the flannel pants she had gotten him last year own and jumped into the other side of the bed. He sat awake staring at the roof letting all of his thoughts flood his mind, most of them revolved around Abbie until he too proceeded to fall asleep.

He dreamt of life after the war, a life where he and Abbie were happily living their lives out, together. It was the first time he had, had a dream other than the nightmare in over two months and it was a welcome relief allowing him to get some much needed sleep.

When she woke it took a minute to register where she was but once she did all she could do was smile which almost seem inappropriate after yesterdays events... almost. She tried to get up so she could freshen up and make breakfast before he woke up,

 _when exactly did i go from picking him up for work to oh i better get up now so i look nice and can make him breakfast before he wakes up?_ she asked herself.

As she went to sit up she was pulled back down and after pulling back the sheets she saw that it was because his arm was protectively curled around her waist. She couldn't help but think how cute it was, but then she was struck with fear,

 _WHAT IF I'M STILL IN PURGATORY?!, WHAT IF THIS IS ALL JUST A MIND GAME?!_

 _"_ CRANE, CRANE" she screamed, violently shaking his shoulders so he would wake up.

" ABBIE" he said immediately sitting up and searching the room for any sign of danger, once he was confident they were not in immediate danger he turned back to his companion. " Mis.." he started but immediately seeing the fear in her eyes he reconsidered. " Abbie, what's wrong?"he asked softly. She looked at him, his eyes were gentle and extremely calming and his face was growing more concerned with each second that passed.

" Is this real?' she asked throwing her hands up in the air " Is any of this real?". She slowly reached her hand up gently stroking the side of his face " Are you real?" she asked this time softer, less frantic.

" Of course it is" he said the confusion clear on his face " Of course i am, what would make you think otherwise?". he brought his hand to rest atop hers on his cheek, they fit together perfectly a fact he couldn't concentrate on for as long as he would have liked. He looked into her eyes searching for anything that would hint as to what was wrong but all he saw was disappearing fear.

" I, I don't know, i'm sorry " she said looking down to embarrassed " I woke up and i thought i was still in purgatory ".

" I assure you Abbie that i am real and that you are here with me, you are home " he said softly " i will not allow anything to hurt you i swear" he said and suddenly all her fears dissipated. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her chin on her shoulder. " Thank you" she said. They stayed like that for at least ten minutes her leaning her head on his shoulder and he with his head atop hers and arms wrapped tightly around her. In the end it was Abbie who pulled away, it took all her strength to pull away from something that felt so right but she was staring and come to think of it she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before.

" I'm gonna have a quick shower then i will make some breakfast before we head out " she said.

" Of course " he said releasing her from his grasp " i shall await your return ". She smiled and jumped off the bed making her way into the bathroom and it wasn't until then that he finished his sentence,

" My love".

Two seconds later her head popped around the door frame and his heart skipped a beat thinking she had heard him and he tried impossibly hard to think of something to say with no avail.

" Do you still have those clothes i left here the other week?" she asked.

" Of course" he said relieved " i shall retrieve them for you now".

" Thank you" she said with a smile. He returned a moment later with her clothes and a fresh towel.

" Here you go" he said passing her the clothing and towel.

" Thanks Crane" she said before disappearing into the bathroom.

As she stepped into the shower she swore she could see her heart beating out of her chest, Had she actually heard him right? Did he just call her my love?. She couldn't believe that he had it was after all only yesterday that he had a wife and a son, well sort of a son. That was the only reason she had asked about the clothes, just to see the reaction he had to her popping her head around the door frame and judging by the reaction she got he had said something he didn't want her to hear, but could he really have called her his love? She decided to try and connect the dots,

 _True, yesterday he killed his wife to save her life True, yesterday he allowed her to kill his kinda son for the greater good.. Okay so what Mills he got rid of their biggest problems and you just happened to be there that doesn't mean anything True, last night he willingly slept in the same bed as her when they both know she would have been fine on the couch True, she woke up with his arm around her and then she thinks she hears him call her his love.. okay so something was up but it was Crane wasn't something up.. But what if he felt the same way she did?,_

She had to do something because not knowing was already eating away inside.

 _Okay so just ask him what he said pretend you didn't hear him properly and watch how he reacts, he'll either tell her thinking she didn't hear him or he'll do the thing he does with his hand when he's nervous and quickly come up with some lame excuse for what he said._

She quickly finished up in the shower and stepped out quickly drying off and getting dressed faster than she had ever done before. She stepped out of the bathroom and made her way into the lounge room looking for Crane.

" Crane?" she called as she couldn't see him anywhere, she waited a minute but got no response so she ventured out into the crisp morning air. She looked around not going past the porch and immediately saw him kneeling down in the gravel of the driveway, if you could call it one.

" Crane?" she asked " What are you doing?".

He looked up from the ground and over his shoulder to see Abbie coming his way doing a kind of walkish, dancish hobble thing which he thought was quite hilarious, He tried and failed to reframe from laughing. She stopped and looked up her brow arched. " Oh you think this is funny ?" she said ' just wait till i get to you" she said and continued to make her way towards him. He stood up and waited for her to come within two feet of him.

" And what will happen if you can't reached me?" he teased. She was about to pounce onto him something she was sure he wouldn't see coming when she stepped on a very large, very sharp rock.

" DAMMIT!" She exclaimed as she dropped to the ground pulling her knee to chest and holding a hand over her bare foot. Her cry of pain caught his attention and he immediately was at her side lifting her from the ground.

" What are you doing?, it's just a cut" she exclaimed in surprise.

" I am taking back to the house to tend to your wound" he explained. By the time they had made it inside and he had placed her down on a chair she had given up trying to get him to put her down. He had just re- emerged from the bathroom with an alcohol wipe and a bandaid when she spoke.

" What were you doing out there?" She asked as he kneeled next to her foot which now sat on the chair in front of her.

" There appears to be a foot print and i believe i know who it belongs to" he said his words full of dread as he cleaned her wound.

" Who's?" she asked slightly wincing away when the wipe made contact with her foot.

" **It would appear the horseman paid us a visit** " he said applying the bandaid and standing back up.


	3. KATRINA

SHORT CHAPTER

She decided to hold off on asking him about what he had said before as now they had been presented with more pressing issues.

" THE HORSEMAN, you mean the horseman of death was here?" she asked.

" I believe so" he said.

" Why, why would he come here and why wouldn't we know about it?!" she said.

" I believe i know when " he said the dread clear in his voice " and why".

" Crane? " she asked nervously " what do mean?".

" Last night after we had both fallen asleep i awoke and heard the door swinging shut, i turned around but there was no one there, i went outside and still no sign of anyone so i assumed that i had simply failed to latch the door when i carried you in earlier that night" he said clearly adgitated that he had missed the foot print last night when he checked no one was lurking around the cabin.

" So you think what, the horseman came into the cabin last night, why would he do that, and if we were both asleep why not just kill us ?" she asked but just as the words left her mouth the answer was obvious.

" KATRINA " they both said simultaneously. They both fell silent, thinking things over in their head.

" Crane when you woke up i wasn't like leaning on you was i?" she said hesitating just a little.

" Leftenant do not think anything of it, you merely fell asleep" he said dismissing her concern but not gaining full meaning of her words.

" So yes?" she asked letting out a worried sigh.

" Yes but i don't see how that.." he stopped mid sentence, the words dropping off his tongue as meaning dawned on him.

" What if the horseman came looking for Katrina and found that" she said drawing out her words so she was sure he grasped her meaning " he might think that.." she let him finish the rest in his head.

" He might think that we were.." he didn't finish because they both knew how the sentence ended.

" You don't think he knows that Katrina is.. you know" she said choosing her words carefully.

" I do believe we will find out in due time" he said.

At that moment her phone started ringing in the other room and before he knew it she was bounding through the cabin and into the bedroom, He couldn't quite decipher what she was saying so he just waited for her to return knowing she would fill him in on all the details.

" Crane that was Jenny, she'll be here in an hour so i'm gonna get started on breakfast" she called from the bedroom before emerging.

" Sounds like a wonderful idea" he said standing up from his chair.

" What are you doing, i said i would cook, remember?, or did mr eidetic memory forget?" she teased.

" No i remember quite fine but that was before you were injured" he said and before she could object he was already in the kitchen collecting eggs from the fridge, she sat down and giggled as she watched him swing the door open and closed a few times before he returned to the task at hand. She remembered the first time he had opened the fridge he spent about twenty minutes just standing in front of it swinging the door open and shut saying how amazing it was, winter in a closet as he put it.

Once he had finished cooking the eggs he returned to the table with two plates and two mugs and as they ate they discussed possible plans of action.

" I think you should come stay at my place " she said pushing her plate which she practically licked clean away, needless to say he was a little taken back by the idea.

" While that is most kind and very generous on you part Leftenant, i fear that it would be most improper of me" he said before she cut in.

" Okay cool, pack your stuff Jenny will be here in half an hour" she said with a smile, he looked up from his plate and could see there was no chance she would let him win and therefore saw no use in fighting

 _THAT WOMAN IS STUBBORN AS A MULE. he thought_

One way or another he was going with her.


	4. WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH

" Miss mills, i fail to see the need for all of this" he said gesturing to the three bags filled with his few possessions which now sat in the trunk of Jennies jeep.

" Well for starters how about last night the horseman OF DEATH came into the cabin and watched us sleep " she said neglecting to bring up the part about the horseman seeing them sleeping on the couch together.. and the part about how the ended up sharing a bed. " Oh not to mention the fact that if he did come looking for Katrina then when he finds out you killed her on top of what he saw last night my guess is he wont take it lightly.

" Don't forget that someone and i'm not pointing any fingers here killed his partner in crime and the horseman of war yesterday" said Jenny staring at Abbie.

" Ugh don't remind me" said Abbie closing the boot of the car and moving around to the side to jump in but before she could open the door there he was holding the door open for her. She looked up at him " i can open a door" she said, Although she would never admit it.. to anyone, she liked it when he went full on gentleman and did things like this she didn't know why it just made her feel special.

" I am well aware of what you are capable of Leftenant, i am simply being a gentleman " he said as he opened his own door and jumped into the vehicle.

For a while they drove in silence that was until Jenny asked an all too important question. " Wait what did you mean by what he saw last night?" she asked. " cause i don't get how him seeing you guys sleeping would make him angry".

Ichabod and Abbie turned to look at each other silently agreeing that Abbie would talk, Jenny could see them but they were so damn good at reading each other that she had absolutely no idea what they were doing. " Mind sharing with the class?" she said starting to get impatient and a tiny ounce of suspicion finding it's way to her mind.

" Well think about if you had come looking for the woman you love in the only place she could be and you didn't find her instead you find two of your biggest enemies in her place, you wouldn't be the happiest person in the world" said Abbie Ichabod seemed to play along with the story pretty well but Jenny wasn't buying it.

" So why not kill you then and there?" asked Jenny waiting for one of them to crack.

" How am i suppose to know?" said Abbie and right then and there Jenny knew that she was lying if it was real she would be more interested in why the horseman didn't kill them.

" Okay so now that we have gotten past that how about telling me the truth because i have more than a few possible scenarios running through my mind right now " said Jenny with a mischievous smile. Abbie looked up to her sister then to Ichabod who obviously had no idea what to do or say. She let out a defeated sigh.

" Just drop it Jenny " she said.

" Abbie just te.." started Jenny before Crane cut her off.

" Miss Jenny i must insist that you.." he looked over his shoulder to Abbie and then back " 'drop it' " he said.

" Oh come on, it can't be that bad!" wined Jenny.

" PLEASE " He commanded firmly before sitting back into his chair and looking back out the window.

She couldn't believe it but yet again her sister was keeping secrets from her, after everything they had been through, after everything she had done for her she couldn't just tell her one damn thing. " FINE" she said bitterly.

They pulled into Abbie's driveway and brought Cranes very few possessions inside.

" Leftenant where would you like me to place my belongings?" he asked. She looked up from her phone and instantly knew he was uncomfortable, his hands were twitching crazily something he only did when he was nervous or uncomfortable.

" Follow me" she said picking up one of the bags and pushing past him, they made their way through the small apartment, they went past the kitchen and down a hallway which led to a door. She opened it and went in, he followed close behind.

" Oh " she said " i'll be right back" and with that she was bounding out of the room down the hallway.

He stood in the room hands behind his back and quickly realised that he was standing in Abbie's room. She came back into the room struggling with a single foam mattress.

" Miss Mills surely you do not wish for me to sleep in your chambers?" he asked the distress clear on his face.

" Crane it's not that big of a deal, now come help me with this mattress" she said leaving no room for argument on either topic.

" Of course" he said rushing to her side.

After an hour of her setting up the room and he complaining about how improper the whole situation was they finally had Ichabod set up.

" Are you sure this is okay?" he asked hands clasped behind his back to try to keep them from twitching " i do not mind residing on the couch until this whole horseman situation is sorted out".

" HA, you on that couch, you couldn't fit on that couch if we broke every bone in your body" she said.

" Well i could have stayed in a motel, or better yet the cabin" he said.

" Okay now that is nonsense" she said mocking his accent " one it is totally fine for you to stay here" she said motioning to the room " and two i would feel a lot better if i kept you close until all this blew over " she said sincerely. He looked up at her and saw a slight hint of something in her eyes doubt?, no with drawl, but what was she keeping from him.. He decided not to push it she had been so kind already and he would not repay her with distrust.

They took the night off from witnessing duties instead opting for a movie night. They ordered take out and once they had eaten Jenny left to go out with her freedom fighter buddies leaving just the two of them.

" Dinosaurs? do you know what a dinosaur is?" she asked. He looked at her with disbelief.

" Of course, i will have you know that the first dinosaur bone was discovered in England LONG BEFORE MY TIME " He said.

" Okay well i know what we're gonna watch" she said with a smile.

Six hours and three movies later Ichabod was getting ready to raise his concerns about the freely flying dinosaurs at the end of Jurassic Park 3 when he realised his companion was in fact soundly asleep on his shoulder. He considered his options and decided there was no harm in resting his eyes for just a moment. He closed his eyes to gather his strength but within seconds he too drifted to sleep


	5. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON

**SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN SO LONG TO GET A NEW CHAPTER UP I HAVE EXAMS COMING UP AND ITS NEARLY END OF SEMESTER SO IT MIGH TAKE ME LONGER THAN USUAL TO GET CHAPTERS UP BUT I WILL TRY TO BE QUICKER THAN THIS**

" Wait you arrested who?" Asked Irving as he sat in his office on the phone Morales who had just arrested one Jennifer Mills for assaulting an officer at the scene of what was suppose to be a peaceful protest. " Alright bring her in i want to speak with her" he said slamming his phone back down on the desk. He had been just about to head home after working a double shift when he got the call and now he had to figure out a way to keep Jenny out of any real trouble. Not that she couldn't handle being in any more trouble but it could be any day now that the horseman came after hem and they had to be ready for anything that he threw at them and it wouldn't be much help if she was locked up.. again.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

" Captain?" said Morales stepping out from behind the door frame. He looked up and saw that most of the bottom half of his face was covered in dry blood.

" What the hell happened to you?" he asked trying to reframe from laughing because he knew exactly what had happened to him. Morales just looked up before he pulled Jenny into view answering the captains question. " Thank you" he said waving Morales away and with a slight nod he backed away closing the door behind him. " SIT" he demanded. " Care to explain?". She looked up from her handcuffs and was surprised to see that he wasn't totally fuming with anger in fact he was actually smiling.

" Well i was going about my personal business" she said before he cut in.

" Says here you were taking part in what was suppose to be a peaceful protest" he said a slight smile tugging at his lips at the last part.

" Tomato tomato, anyway as i was going about my daily business he grabbed me by the arm and said he wanted to talk to me about Icky and Abbie i told him that if he didn't let me go that i would punch him and he didn't let me go so.. i got to do something i have wanted to do for a long time" she said proudly. They were both silent while she waited on his reaction.

" Your just lucky i find him extremely annoying" he said standing up from his chair and grabbing his jacket.

" So you aren't gonna arrest me?" she asked although she knew he wouldn't.

" No but i have something a lot better in mind" he said a sneaky smile on his face " Now lets go". She followed him out of the precinct and tried to think of what he could possibly be planning but she couldn't think of a damn thing worse than going back to tarry town.

" You are so lame" she said her voice higher than normal as they stepped out into the car park.

" Oh so you wont mind if i tell your sister about you being arrested.. again?" he teased.

" Not a bit" she said as confidently as she could pull off, she really didn't want her sister finding out.

" Alright then get in the car we are gonna go see her right now" he said.

" wait now? they are having a movie night" she wined.

" well aren't you so rude for causing this interruption to movie night" he said " now get in the damn car". She looked down at him sitting in the car and realised there was no chance she was gonna win.

" FINE" she moped sitting down in the car and crossing her arms.

After the very short very silent ride from the precinct to Abbie's apartment Jenny and Frank made their way up to her door step before knocking.

" Ugh how hard is it to answer a door" She Jenny angrily hitting the door a few more times.

" Don't you have a key i mean you live here" said Irving.

" Oh yeah" she said pulling a key from her pocket and sliding it into the lock. " Abbie? Abbie are you here?" she called.

" Found them" he whispered.

" Why are you whis.." she said before her speech was cut off by laughter.

Abbie and Ichabod had fallen asleep on the couch and Abbie had ended up with her head resting on his chest while Ichabod had ended up with his arm around her waist.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and she and Irving took photos until they were satisfied they had gotten one from every angle.

" Should we wake them up?" Asked Jenny as she put her phone back into her pocket.

" Well we came here for a reason" He said."

" Right um maybe we should just wait till they wake up" she said nervously realising there might be a way out.

" No chance" he said with a smile. She looked from the couch to Irving.

" Fine, but your doing it not me" she said

" Are you sure that this is a good idea i mean isn't there a thing that you shouldn't wake up people who have fought in a war?" Asked Irving nervously looking at Jenny, he had a bad feeling that if he woke Crane up then he would get tackled to the ground.

" Oh come on get out of the way" she said pushing him out of her path and kneeling down beside the couch. He stepped further out of her way and took an extra step just for good measure. Jenny leant right next to Ichabods ear and took a deep breath.

" CRANE" she screamed at the top of her lungs jumping back expecting him to sit up and knock her over but he didn't even flinch and either did Abbie. She looked back to Irving who was just as confused as she was.

" Wow they heavy sleepers?" he asked.

" No" she said " She wakes up when i get a glass of water ".

" Huh, go again i wanna get it on video" he said pulling his phone from his pocket. Jenny repositioned herself next to Cranes ear and took another deep breath. " CRANE" she screamed again but still nothing, not even a murmur. She repeated his name another three times before trying something else. She leaned impossibly close to his ear but this time she whispered something so quietly that not even Irving could hear it

" _Crane Abbies in trouble"._ This time he woke up, sitting up and nearly taking Jenny down. He looked so confused and the worry was clear on his face as his eyes searched the room no doubt looking for Abbie, He relaxed back into the couch once he saw Abbie lying beside him looking just as confused as he.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep but sometime in the third movie she had. But tonight she didn't dream of waking up still in purgatory with no hope of rescue, no this one was much worse. She dreamt she was riding a white horse and there was someone sitting behind but she wasn't sure who it was.. not yet at least. She looked up but all she could see was darkness confirming her suspision that it was after dark. They for a while before she saw light off in the distance it looked like it was coming from a house and as they got closer she realised where she was. She had expected them to stop as they approached the old cabin but instead they continued to ride deeper into the forest. Then and there she realised it wasn't Crane behind her, she tried to turn around but she couldn't move it was like she was tied up but there was nothing around her, it was then that a hand came forward grabbing the reins of the horse and pulling them back and she instantly knew who it was, the red military coat was a dead give was riding with the horseman. They horse came to a slow stop in a clearing, that's when she heard it. " Leftenant " it was distant but she heard it and knew who was calling for her but so did the horseman. " Excellent " he said under his breath as he jumped down from the horse. She turned to see what he was doing but before she saw him she felt it, a soaring pain across her chest. She looked down at her chest and saw a gushing flow of blood poring from her wound. She looked up her eyes wide with fear she was dying and she knew. " Crane" she screamed as loud as she could as she fell from the horse. As she hit the ground she saw him standing on the other side of the clearing tears rolling down his face " Abbie " he whispered.

She woke up hoping she was alone, preying for some peace and quiet while she recovered from her terrifying experience but instead as she opened her eyes she realised she was surrounded. She had woken up feeling like she was being shaken and saw her sister and Irving standing across the room smiling and Irving had a phone out no doubt videoing them. She registered a warmth beside her and turned her head to see that she had fallen asleep and ended up lying on Cranes chest. He looked down at her the confusion clear in his eyes and she was sure she had the same look, They stared at each other for a while just trying to figure out the situation before she turned her head to face her sister not pushing herself up off Crane just yet.

" What the hell is going on" she said staring straight into her sisters eyes " and turn that camera off".

" Yes Jenny what is going on here" said Irving mockingly.

" We were just you know waking you up because" She turned around and gave Irving a death stare " SOMEONE insisted he tell you something immediately". Abbie turned her attention to Irving who had since put his phone back into his pocket.

" Hey do not try pinning this on me your the one who got arrested for assaulting an officer OF THE LAW" he said empathising the last part for dramatic purposes.

" WHAT" Abbie said her gaze shooting back to her sister. " HE BETTER BE KIDDING".

" If you must know it was self defence" said Jenny.

" SOMEONE BETTER TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED OR SO HELP ME" She said.

" I for one think this can wait till the morning seeing as you two are well" she said waving her hand around them " cozy". She turned back to Irving and they both laughed. Abbie looked at them then to Crane who had kept his mouth shut the entire time and took a deep breath.

" Fine" she said and Irving let out a relieved breath thinking he was clear to go but then she kept talking " but only if we watch a movie" Irving looked up to Abbie he had been expecting a lot worse that was until " That crane chooses " she finished her sentence with a smile.

" I guess that could be cool" said Jenny sitting down in the chair she had long since reserved as hers.

" Yeah whatever " said Irving sitting in the chair on the other side of the couch.

It took Crane half an hour to choose a movie and by that time Abbie was already starting to fall asleep but she kept trying to push through, to make it till the end of the movie but it was no use and within twenty minutes of the movie starting she had already drifted to sleep again and again like before she ended up with her head on his chest. Jenny and Irving were too bored to notice while the movie played but once it ended they saw what had happened and immediately they tried to take photos but before they could Crane had already jumped up with Abbie in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Jenny and Irving looked at each other neither of them had any idea what was going on.

" Hold on i'll figure out" said Jenny stepping up from her chair and following him into the room.


	6. NEVER WALK ALONE

She followed him into the bedroom to find that he had already set her down on the bed and covered her in the sheets. She walked up beside him and watched as her sister slept more peacefully than she had in months. She had been watching the two of them since her release from Tarry town, the way they looked at each other, the way they worked together, the trust they shared and she had a suspicion that they both had deeper feelings for each other that they weren't yet willing to admit but now seeing the way he watched her and the way she slept so peacefully after falling asleep in his arms she knew.

" Do you love her?" she asked her voice just above a whisper. He was startled by how forward her question was and how confident she seemed, he wasn't sure how to answer but for her his silence was all the answer she needed.

" More than you could ever imagine" he finally said deciding there was no use in trying to lie to her when she obviously had great confidence in what she was saying.

" Have you told her?" she asked " Because i've seen the way she looks at you and the trust she has in you she doesn't just give that away you know". He stood silent The ability to speak suddenly leaving him, He knew what she was talking about but there was no way to be sure that she felt the same way and that wasn't a risk he was willing to take.. not yet at least. " You don't know that for sure" he said once he found the words.

" No but you know what i do know for sure? that couch out there happens to fold out into a bed" she said with a sneaky smile before spinning around and leaving the room happy with her contribution the his problem.

He stood silently processing what Jenny had told him until he felt a sudden wave of tiredness come over him. He changed into his sleeping attire and slipped under the sheets of the mattress that lay on the floor next to Abbies bed, but he quickly learned that it didn't matter how tired he was sleep would not find him not while his mind ran wild with possible reasons why Abbie would have kept from him that the couch folded out into a bed. Two hours later he lay awake still unable to sleep when he was ripped from his thoughts by a pained screamed.

" CRANE!" she screamed her voice clearly pained and panicked.

He scrambled up from the floor and over to Abbies side, He came around to face her, she was tossing crazily and her forehead was drenched in sweat. " leftenant" he said, gently taking her shoulder in his hand

" leftenant" he said louder this time grabbing both shoulders and gently shaking her. This times her eyes shot open and she lunged forward gasping for air nearly falling off the bed. He caught her and lifted her back up, leaning back so he could look into her eyes.

" Crane " she breathed her eyes searching his for anything to grab hold of.

" Yes" he said softly trying to calm her down. She took a deep breath and looked up to him, he stood hovering above her bed in the flannel pants she got him a while ago, his hair was out and some of it hung across his face. She scooted over so he could sit next to her, he hesitated for a moment before taking a seat next to her, He looked over at her, her face was so full of fear that it scared even him.

" Nightmare?" he asked although the answer was obvious, they had always told each other about their nightmares and had witnessed each others first hand but never had he seen her so distressed by one.

" Yeah" she said weakly.

" Would you like to speak about it?" he asked although she never did. She shook her head and took a deep breath.

" I'm sorry did i wake you up?" she asked.

" No, i couldn't sleep" he said avoiding disclosing what kept him awake " This one was different?" he asked but it came out as more of a statement than a question. She looked up to him and nodded, her eyes were so full of pain and fear and dread that his heart was tearing apart.  
They held each others gaze for a while before she turned away to face the wall opposite the bed and he braced himself for her to tell him what was wrong.

" I was on a horse, at first i thought you were there too but then he reached for the reins and i saw a red military coat.. i was riding with the horseman, it was after dark so i couldn't see much but we were riding near the cabin, after a while we came to a clearing and stopped i tried to jump down and run but it was like there were ropes around me but there was nothing there. I heard you calling for me, The horseman heard too and it was like he wanted you to be there, to see what was bout to happen, he got down from the horse and i turned around to see what he was doing and he sliced my chest with his axe, same place as you" she said stopping because although she knew it was just a dream there was something about it that made the next bit extremely painful to speak about. " I fell to the ground and i knew i was dying, i screamed your name and then you came out of the bushes and you saw me there on the ground". They sat silently both now staring at the wall for some time just processing everything she had said picking out any detail that might clue to something.

" And then what happened?" he asked

" Then " she said tilting her head up to hold back the tears that threatened to roll down her face " Then i woke up". He didn't say anything, he couldn't he was too upset it was one thing for her to have to wake up thinking she was still trapped in purgatory but now she was witnessing her own demise first hand.

" Lef.." he started but with one look in his eyes he knew just how upset she was " Abbie, i cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like for you and i'm not going to try and convince you that i do but believe me if i could i would take away all your suffering, but for now the best thing i can do is swear to you i will never allow anything to happen to you" he promised softly. It wasn't until she turned to face him that he realised she was crying, He immediately wrapped him arms around her and pulled her to his chest.

She hated crying in front of people, always had a product no doubt of her many years in foster care. But with him she wasn't scared to open up, to let him see her vulnerable. With him she could be completely open and he would never judge her. So when he wrapped his arms around her it just felt right especially because she had over heard what he and her sister had said earlier when they thought she was asleep.

" Thank you" she said talking into his chest " I don't know what i would do without you in my life".

" And i prey that you never find out" he said softly.

He felt her tears seep through his shirt as he sat holding her until he felt he couldn't hold his eyes open any longer.

" Abbie" he said yawning " i think we could both use some sleep". She took a deep breath and pulled back from his embrace looking up into his eyes. She didn't want to admit it but she was afraid, of everything and she felt like if he left she could die.

" Will you stay with me?" she asked her eyes dropping down too scared to hold his gaze in fear of his rejection. He looked down at her as she stared right back at him, her eyes were so pained and she looked as though she might fall apart at any moment if he left.

" Of course" he said. She scooted over further and shivered when her leg made contact with the cold untouched sheets. He layed down down on his back, his arm never leaving her waist and he was amazed by how much more comfortable this bed was compared to his mattress on the floor. " My god" he said his voice in a wonderous tone it took when he discovered something new " This bed is the most comfortable thing i have layed on in 250 years". At that she couldn't help but laugh a welcome distraction from her fear. As they lay side by side she thought about how nice it was to finally not be alone in life but that started an avalanche of fear.

 _WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE LEAVES? she thought_

" Crane" she said her voice so soft he wasn't sure if she had even said anything " Please don't ever leave" she begged. He took a deep breath and pulled her closer, taking her hand in his.

" I swear to you Grace Abigale Mills for as long as i draw breath you will never walk alone". She knew that he meant what he said with all his being and it gave her a sense of security she hadn't felt in as long as she could remember. He pulled his arm tighter around her and she rested her head on his chest before they both drifted off to sleep.


	7. THE INCIDENT

**I HAVE TO ADMIT IN THIS CHAPTER IRVING IS MORE BASED ON ORLANDO JONES THAN THE ACTUAL CHARACTER**

Irving had stayed the night because Jenny told him it would not be her telling Abbie about her being arrested and if it was her to tell her she may just have to file a harassment charge on Luke.

" IRVING" Jenny whispered from the doorway of Abbies room " IRVING".

" What?, what?" he said " I'm trying to make eggs out here, how hard could it be to wake someone up".

" Just shut up and come here" she said laughing " And bring your phone". He sighed and walked through the apartment to Abbies room and immediately the pair began taking photos. Abbie and Ichabod were still sleeping and they had only moved closer overnight, If that was even possible. They still lay hand in hand, his arms still curled protectively around her waist and her head still lay on his bare chest. " Should we wake them up?" she asked.

" Wait wait wait" he said turning his phone from photo to video " Okay go".

" What are you doing?" she asked.

" For the scrap book" he said " Now go". She moved across the room and Irving moved to the end of the bed holding his phone out as far as he could reach, she leant down next to Cranes ear.

" CRANE" she screamed, but again like the night before he didn't even flinch.

" Do that thing you did last night" he said. She leaned closer to his ear and took a deep breath.

" Katrina needs your help" she whispered then waited. But still he didn't flinch which didn't totally surprise her after their conversation last night but she had still expected him to wake up maybe out of force of habit or something, but nothing not even a murmur.

She took another deep breath" Abbie needs your help" she whispered into his ear, jumping back knowing what was coming.

" WHAT ABBIE?!" he sat up within seconds almost taking jenny down. His eyes swept the room but found nothing that could cause them harm except that dreadful mattress. He registered a warmth by his side and knew it was Abbie, he looked down to make sure he hadn't awoken her taking no notice of the others in the room, luckily she was sleeping. He closed his eyes and sunk further into the bed completely forgetting the fact that Irving and Jenny stood mere metres away.

" Well aren't you two cozy?" Irving teased. He opened his eyes and let out a sigh of annoyance.

" What is the meaning of this intrusion Abigale and i are trying to sleep". Irving and Jenny looked at each other and smiled knowing smiles, there had only been a handful of occasions where he had used Abbies first name and they had only been when they were in danger or when it was important that she listened to him so the fact that he used it now when they were perfectly safe only increased their suspicions.

" The meaning of this intrusion " Jenny said mocking his 18th century accent " Is to wake you two up, Irvings cooking breakfast so wake Abbie up and get your butts out here pronto" she said clapping her hands before turning to exit the room, once they had left the room he once again settled back into the bed and let out a breath as if he had been holding it in the whole time. " oh and Icky, put a shirt on" called Jenny from the kitchen.

He looked down at his companion sleeping peacefully, she looked so calm he couldn't help but stare longer than he knew he should, but the power she held over him even while she slept was too powerful he couldn't resist reaching forward and pushing the hair off her face.

" What are you doing?" she mumbled tiredly, he jumped at the sound of her voice he had thought she was sound asleep.

" Your awake ?" he asked trying to change the subject.

" Yes" she asked dragging the word out " What were you doing?" she asked again, not that she actually cared what he was doing she just loved watching him squirm.

" Uh i was just, um... i was just trying to wake you up" he said thinking he had come up with a convincing save.

" okaaaay " she said unconvinced " Why did you wake me up, it's our day off remember ?".

" Of course i remember leftenant i was instructed to wake you by Miss Jenny she asked us to join her and the Captain for breakfast" he said.

" What time is it?" she wined. He reached over her grabbing his phone from her bed side table, he turned it on and read the time aloud. " 8.45" he said throwing the covers off himself, making sure to leave Abbie fully covered and jumping out of the bed.

" Shall we?" he asked extending his arm out for Abbie to take. She looked up at him and stretched her arms out before throwing the sheets off herself and using his arm to haul herself out of the bed. They began to walk out of the room and half way between the bed and the door he stuck his hand up in the air " Oh " he said, quickly bounding back across the room to the bag that contained his possessions, after searching around for a moment he stood up holding his shirt and began to put it on.

" No" she said pointing at his rag of a shirt " i bought you a new one remember?" she asked. He looked at her with pleading eyes, it wasn't that there was anything wrong with the 21st centuries clothing it was just this certain garment she had intended he get was a little to.. fitted for his liking. " But,," he started but stopped realising she was no longer listening to him instead rummaging through a drawer before she pulled out the dreaded ' T-Shirt' . " What?" she said triumphantly, pulling the shirt out of her drawers and closing the distance between. " Nothing" he said defeatedly. " Good now here" she said holding her arms out shirt in hand.

They walked out of her bedroom, down the hallway and into the kitchen and she was laughing hysterically the entire time as Ichabod had his head stuck in one of the shirts arm holes. They walked into the dining room where Jenny and Irving were sitting eating bacon and eggs looking through a folder that she thought was an album. " What you got there?" Asked Abbie.

" Oh nothing" said Jenny shutting the album and sliding it onto her lap.

" Right" she said turning around to ask Crane what he wanted to eat. but as she turned she saw he still had his head stuck he waved her hand and told him to stop between giggling as she moved over to help him." Sit down" she said pointing to the vacant chair between them, he obeyed and once he was seated she pulled the shirt off from around his neck. " I would have figured it out" her said bitterly, he was thankful for her help but they had company and it was embarasing for her to dress him like a child.

" Sure you would have" she sarcastically assured him " arms up" she said. He felt like a completely helpless child on one hand he was thankful but on the other he was more than a little embarrassed about having to be dressed by his fellow witness. None the less he raised his arms as instructed and in one simple movement she slid the shirt on in one easy movement. " There we go" she said walking around to face him " Now what do you wanna eat?". He sat up straight in the chair and rolled his shoulder attempting to get comfortable in the shirt " I do not mind" he said trying not to be as picky as usual. " Okay, i'll surprise you but you have to eat it" she said leaving the room. He sat back in the chair after she left and continued to play around with the shirt. He heard shuffling so he looked up and saw that Jenny and Irving were both sitting perfectly still staring at him neither saying a word, only moving to breath, his first was that they had been possessed but after some quick thinking he ruled it out. " I'm sorry did i do something?" he asked trying to think back to anything he had done that would cause them to look at him like he had just murdered someone.

" I don't know, did you?" Asked Jenny breaking the pairs silence but still neither moved a muscle. He was beginning to feel like he was being interrogated. " To what may i ask are you referring to?" he asked clearing his throat and sitting up straight in his chair. " Chill, we're just kidding" said Jenny relaxing back into her chair.

" Right, i shall endevour to.. chill" her said relaxing a bit " If i may ask Miss Jenny what is that album you have in your hands?" he asked. She brought the book out from under the table and slid it across the table to him.

" Have a look" she said with a smile. He opened the first page and read it.

 _ICHABOD AND ABBIE = ICHABBIE_

 _by Frank and Jenny_

He looked up from the book and rolled his eyes. " Keep going" said Irving. He flipped through the pages taking each in before turning to the next, they were all filled with pictures of he and Abbie most of them appeared to have been taken while they were sleeping. " How?" he started " when?... why?". Before either could reply Abbie came through the door carrying a plate stacked with french toast. " Here we go" she said placing the plate in front of him. " Thank you Miss Mills but surely you do not think me capable of consuming such a massive quantity of food?" he asked, shutting the book and sliding it across the table. " No" she said holding her hand out to stop the book " There was only one plate left for SOME REASON " she said turning to face Jenny and Irving who between them had six plates. " So we will just both have to eat off this one" she said dragging a chair next to his.

He looked cautiously at the pile of as Abbie had put it ' french toast'. " This resembles no French meal i have ever laid my eyes apon" he said.

" Yeah i don't think it's actually french Crane, but it's good and you said you would try what ever i made so try some" she said opening the front page of the book. He took a piece of ' french toast' and watched Abbie as she squirted a substance labelled ' tomato sauce' on top of it, he repeated what she had done and took a bight. He was amazed by how good something cooked in so little time could taste and went to compliment Abbie on her cooking skills but apon seeing her deep in thought flipping through the pages of the book he decided to leave it for another time. Once she had finished eating she quickly flicked through the last few pages of the book was shocked to see that they were filled of pictures from yesterday. She went to take the plate back into the kitchen but found that Crane had already taken it so instead she turned her attention to her sister. " What is this?" she asked. Jenny and Irving looked to each other then back to Abbie. " Uum" Jenny started. " And where the hell did you get these photos?" she asked cutting her sister off " and more importantly why were you taking photos of me and Crane while we were sleeping?" she asked, she wasn't sure how she felt about the book yet on one hand it was cute but on the other they were taking photos of them WHILE THEY SLEPT!.

" You know what i don't even wanna know" she said rubbing her temples " But i do wanna know what happened last night".

Ichabod finished drying the plate and then placed it neatly in the cupboard where he knew Abbie kept them before making his back into the dining room and taking his seat next to Abbie.

" Oh you remembered" said Jenny.

" Yeah i do now what did you do?" asked Abbie sturnly. She froze for a minute trying to think of what to tell her but before she could speak Irving said it for her.

" Jenny punched Morales in the face" he said standing up from his chair, leaning to the side and pointing down at her.  
" Oh yes i did" he whispered in her ear as he sat back down.

Jenny was expecting some angered rant from Abbie about how she should be grateful that he didn't press charges or something but instead she heard Ichabod let out a laugh and two seconds later so did Abbie.

" wait so your not angry " said jenny looking up to her sister.

" yeah your not not angry" said Irving the disappointment clear on his face.

" are you kidding i have wanted to do that for so long " said Abbie reaching out to give her sister a high five.o" as have i " Ichabod said under his breath but because he was laughing it came out louder than he imagined.

" Aaw " said jenny sarcastically. " what did little Lukey pookey do to hurt Ickys feelings?".

" if you must know " said Ichabod sitting up straight in his chair " he " he paused for a moment thinking of the modern term " dissed my being an english history teacher saying that it was embarrassing for me to teach about the revolutionary war in England because you Americans kicked our.. buns".

everyone at the table burst out in laughter except for Ichabod who sat quiet as a mouse. after hearing his sentence Abbie actually would have fallen off her chair if it weren't for Ichabod catching her in time. She looked up at him, awkwardly leaning across her chair holding her up with one arm. They held each others gaze for a moment before he pulled her back onto her chair.

" well he sure chose the wrong Brittish dude to mess with didn't he " said Abbie trying to avoid what could have been a very awkward moment.


	8. NEVER LEAVE ME

**P.S WHEN I WROTE INSTANTANEOUSLY I LITERALLY GUESSED AND TOLD MYSELF THAT I ONLY GOT ONE SHOT OTHERWISE I WOULD RE WRITE IT AND I ACTUALLY GOT IT RIGHT**

A week had past since Crane had first come to stay with her, a week since her nightmares started, a week since she heard him say she loved him and nothing had changed. Each night the same thing would happen, they would both wake up screaming from their nightmares and they would end up talking until the sun came up, then they would try to sleep this time together in the bed. And this night was no different.. except it was.

 _She was riding with the horseman through the forest when she saw the clearing up ahead, she had gotten familiar and as they approached the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, after all this was her death bed. She had long since stopped trying to jump off the horse and escape something she wasn't sure what, but something kept her there and there was no use trying to run so instead she sat eyes squeezed shut, fits cleaned tight waiting for the horseman to strike._

But nothing happened and after a few minutes she dared to open her eyes. She let out a breath like she had been holding it in the whole time, she was back in her apartment, she was in her room on her bed and Crane was, he was, She stretched her arm out and it found nothing, her heart starting racing and it threatened to beat out of her chest, she jumped up and was relived to see him sleeping on the mattress beside her bed, and Crane was here with her.

 _" LEFTENANT!" He said as he trudged through the woods surrounding the cabin searching for her. It had only been four hours since she was taken but he knew it was only a matter of time, he knew what the horseman had planed and he knew why. He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard the ear piercing scream that could have only come from one person and one one person only. " CRANE" he heard her scream. " Abbie, ABBIE I'M COMING" he screamed as loud as he could. He instantaneously started running as fast as he could towards her voice, crashing through anything and everything in his path. " ABBIE" he screamed again hoping and preying she could still hear him. " CRANE" he heard again and he knew he was close, just another 20 feet and he would find her._

It hadn't even been a minute after she woke up when he started screaming her name and she knew he must be having the same nightmare she had. She jumped out of the bed and scrambled over to where he was, She took his shoulders in her hands and gently shook them " Crane it's okay i'm here" she said quietly, when that didn't work she tried again this time calling his name louder. It took a few attempts but he finally woke.

He woke up and his eyes darted around the room searching for her. " Crane, I'm here, i'm alright" she said knowing what he was doing.

" Abbie" he breathed " It was only a dream" he said. He sat up and looked straight into her eyes, she was alive, she was with him, she was safe, it was just a dream.

" You had it too huh?" she asked looking straight back at him, they were so full of fear and she knew most if not all of it was for her. He moved over and she jumped up onto the mattress next to him.

" I thought i had lost you" he said softly reaching his hand out and taking hers in it " I cannot loose you Abbie" he said eyes still not leaving her.

" And you wont" she said hoping it was true.

" If i lost you, i don't know what i would do, there would be nothing left for me here, in this world, in this time.. your all i have" he admitted. So many things came to her mind, so many ways to try and convince him he wouldn't loose them but none of them meant a thing because she couldn't promise something like that and even if she tried he wouldn't buy it, So she didn't instead she just wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He felt her warmth like a raging fire and wrapped his arms around her resting his chin atop her head.

They sat silently holding each other until she finally voiced a question that had been eating away at her since she over heard him talking to Jenny a week ago.

" Listen" she said her voice smaller than usual which told him she was unsure or nervous about what she was saying, something she very rarely was " I think you should come sleep up on the bed from now on". She had been expecting some lecture about how improper that would be and that he was fine sleeping on the mattress but instead he didn't say a thing he just looked lost in thought. " But only if you know you wanted too" she said nervously just hoping he would say something, anything. Still nothing she was about to say that they could just talk about it in the morning when he jumped up scooping her up in his arms and carried her to the bed placing her down gently on the side she always slept on.

If it had have been anyone else he would have straight up refused, but this wan't someone else, this was Abbie and now more than ever he couldn't stand being apart from her, not when he spent every waking moment terrified that the horseman would take her away from him. So he didn't refuse instead he jumped up with her in his arms and placed her down in the bed on the side he knew she slept on and covered her with the sheets before climbing under them himself.

" You seem really shaken, was something different about this one?" she asked turning her body to face him resting her head on her hand.

" Not entirely, it was a feeling, like i knew why i had to hurry to get you back from him, i knew why he was doing it i just couldn't remember why" he said turning to face her.

" oh i see how that was hard for you " she teased.

" Tease all you want Miss Mills i for one believe that it could mean something" he said.

" Alright we'll see if we can find anything about it in the archives tomorrow but for now we should try and get some sleep" she said yawning.

She lay on her side for a moment while he repositioned himself on his back and after a moment of hesitation she creeped forward placing her head on his chest " Is this alright if i?" she asked hovering over his chest. " Of course " he said a little quicker maybe than he should of. She relaxed against his chest and to his heart beating in sync with her every breath. It gave her that same sense of security that she only got with him and she let out a sigh before resting her hands between their chests. They lay silently for a while as one being, everything they did synced into one smooth movement. " Never leave me Ichabod" she a slight second of hesitation he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. " Never Abbie". He felt her hand relax against his chest and closed his eyes.

Every time he fell asleep with her by his side he dreamt of like after the war and tonight was no different except the dream had an edge of reality that he couldn't quite explain like he was reliving a memory that he hd never lived in the first place, but it didn't bother him because she was their, with him, and they were happy and smiling and that was all that mattered, she was all that mattered.


	9. WILD FIRE

**SHORT CHAPTER SORRY WILL UPDATE SOON!**

She dreamt of what she always dreamt when she was by his side, life after the war but this one felt strange like there was an edge of reality to it like a distant memory struggling to break free. But she didn't really take notice because why would she when she was there with him by her side and they were happy and he was smiling and laughing, oh that laugh, it warmed her heart more than a thousand matched ever could.

She opened her eyes and was relived to see that they didn't have a paparazzi capturing their every move on camera. She rolled over and stretched her arms out then rolled back to her spot to continue sleeping, the whole second witness of the apocalypse job wasn't exactly 9-5 so she took the chance to sleep in whenever she could.. She closed her eyes, rolled onto her side and fell asleep within moments.

He woke up feeling a hot breath on his neck and jumped a little when he opened his eyes and found that Abbies face was mere millii-metres from his own. He took a deep breath and rolled over reaching his arm across Abbie to grab her phone, once he had it in his hands he rolled back over and pressed the button on the top of the device which he had since learnt caused the device to light up. A smile spread across his face before he was able to check the time as he saw a 'selfie' as Abbie had put it that they had taken a week before the 'incident' as they now referred to it had taken place.

" What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

" Oh" he said fumbling the phone in his hands " i was merely checking the time". She knew he was lying well partly lying he may have gone to check the time but he had ended up staring at the picture of them she had as lock screen so she decided to play along so she looked at him expectantly waiting for him to tell her time. He just gazed back at her the confusion clear on his face he obviously was not realising what she was waiting for him to do.

"The time?" she finally spelled it out for him.

" Oh the time of course, the time is" he stopped, after seeing her lock screen he hadn't actually taken notice of the time, he pressed down on the top of the device so it lit up and tried as discretely as possible to look down and as he did he read the time out loud. " The time is 10.30" he said trying to hide the astonishment in his voice, only as a young boy had he ever slept that late. " Oh my it would seem we slept for quite a while". She saw him glance down to check the time but she was too hungry to call him out for it so she let it go and changed the subject.

" Do you wanna grab a bite from the diner before we go to work?" she asked knowing that he would, it was his favorite place and she knew exactly what he would want.

" Can i get that delightful strawberry and cream pie?" he practically begged as his eyes lit up at the idea.

" Sure but only if i get a bite" she said playfully with a giggle. The simple sound of her laughter sparked a wildfire inside of him that he couldn't explain or stop and with every second it grew stronger, threatening to break free so he simply returned the laughter not trusting himself to say a word.


	10. CRANES FIRST PUNCH UP

The day had been without incident, with no sign of the horseman or any of his minions so they decided to spend the day catching up on some research in the archives. They sat along the back wall with a seat stacked high with books between them, every sentence he would look up from his book to make sure she was still there, still safe. The dream last night had rattled him more than he was willing to admit, not just because he had lost her but because it had felt more like a distant memory trying to break free and it was a feeling that still clung to his mind and heart never letting him forget.  
She sat with her knees to her chest with a book in her hands but she couldn't concentrate, all she could think about was how scared Crane was last night when she woke him up from the nightmare. It was like a raging fire of fear in his eyes and every time he looked up at her she could see it was still there.

" Hey" she said placing her book on the ever growing pile between them " Do you wanna go grab a drink? come back to this tomorrow, not like they're going anywhere". He looked up from his book and tossed the idea around in his mind before placing his book on the pile and standing from the chair reaching for his jacket. She smiled taking his movement as a yes, she stood up from the chair and made her way across the room sliding her jacket on once she reached it. She looked around the room in search of her keys then she remembered where she put them, she reached into her pockets and pulled them out of her pocket before following him out the archive doors and into the parking lot. She drove them to there favourite bar and they walked in to find that it was packed. " There must be a party or something" she said as they pushed through the crowd to the nearest vacant seat. They sat at the end of the bar as far away from the raging crowd as possible and ordered. Crane had just let to use the bathroom while they were waiting for their drinks to come when she heard her name being called.

" Abbie" he yelled from the crowd trying to get her attention, he had seen her walk in and was glad that he didn't see her British body guard hovering over her shoulder " Abbie" he tried again making his way through the crowd to reach her. She looked up to see the source coming her way, she tried to ignore him turning her back to him so she faced the bar instead but she knew he wouldn't give up that easily. " Abbie" he said taking a seat next to her and immediately she knew he was drunk.

" That seats taken" she sad flatly not sparing him a glance.

" I don't see anyone here" he said " Abs come on can we just talk" he asked inching closer to her, She shifted away from him but he moved closer so she stood up and started walking towards the bathrooms. " Abbie" he said.

" Look i don't wanna talk to you now leave me alone" she warned. She kept making her way through the crowd with her head down, Luke still persuing until she bumped into someone, she looked up to apoligise and let out a relived to see that it was Crane. " Oh thank god there you are" she said.

" Is everything alright Leftenant?" he asked scanning her for any injuries. She stepped next to him and looked out to look who was coming their way. " Bloody hell!" he exclaimed " Excuse my language" he said bowing his head. " You do not wish to speak to him?" he asked.

" Is that even a question?, you are aware i just ran into you while running away from him right?" she said.

" I just wanted to be certain" he said " Now if you would please stay behind me" he said looking down at her a moment, before stepping in front of her to greet the unwanted suitor. He waited for the man to approach and as he was about to walk past him he reached a hand out to the mans chest gently pushing him back then side stepping into his path.

" WHAT THE HELL MAN!" said an obviously drunk Luke walking back up to Crane.

" Miss Mills does not wish to speak to you detective" he said standing up as straight as he could so he could tower higher over the man. Abbie watched on as Ichabod pushed Luke back and decided that it wouldn't matter what he did Luke wouldn't give up and she was not going to talk to him so they may as well leave now before something happened. She sidled out from behind Crane, completely ignoring Morales instead turning to face Ichabod. " Do you mind if we just go home. He turned his attention from the detective to Abbie. " Of course" he answered with a smile.

" WAIT YOU GUYS ARE LIVING TOGETHER?!" said Luke sounding more like he was accusing them rather than asking. Ichabod watched as Abbie rolled her eyes.

" Miss Mills and i.." Abbie cut him off not wanting to stand there a second longer than she had to. " Not that it is any of you business but yes, now come on" she said grabbing Cranes hand and beginning to drag him through the crowd. As she was turning away from him Luke grabbed her arm and yanked her back" GET THE HELL OFF ME!" she screamed in his face trying to yank her arm back but she couldn't, he had to tight of a grip that's when out of no where Crane came charging from behind her and punched Luke in the face causing him to fall as well as let go of her arm.


	11. TENDANCIES

**KINDA MORE OF A PART 2 TO CHAPTER 10 SO IT'S PRETTY SHORT**

After he was sure that the man was on the ground he turned back to Abbie and wrapped his arms around her to be sure that even if the he did get up which he doubted he would, he wouldn't be able to get to her again. He thought that she would pull away from his grasp but she didn't instead she leant into his embrace.

" Thank you" she whispered. He pulled back from her and looked down into her eyes. " It was my honour to defend yours" he said sincerely before turning around to the man who lay on the ground shock clear on his face. " As for you if i ever catch you anywhere near Abbie or her family again i will rain pain and suffering down on you so hard it will make god himself jealous, Understood?!" he demanded his voice cold and sereous, Luke merely nodded in agreement before scatering away across the floor.

Crane turned his attention back to Abbie and he held a hand out for her " shall we?" he asked his voice regaining its kindness . She smiled taking his hand before she led them out of the bar. He made sure to stay a step behind her at all times to make sure that Luke didn't come back and try to grab her away until they reached the parking lot where he held the door open for her before climbing into the other side himself.

" Did you see his face before you punched him, Jenny really did get him good" she said with a smile as they were driving towards her apartment.

" Oh it did look quite painful" he agreed smiling perhaps a tad too much.

" I'm sure your knuckle sandwich was just what the doctor ordered" she said with a grin.

" I do apoligise for my out burst and i hope you do not get into any trouble because of it but seeing him grab you and watching you be pulled away, with everything else that has happened recently i snapped , but it will not happen again I swear." he said sincerely.

" Don't worry about it, i am actually very thankful for what you did, Luke has a tendancy to be rough when he's drunk" she said and he could hear her voice change at the mention of the detective having a tendancy to be rough.

" Surely you do not mean he has mistreated you while in this state before" he asked the concern rising with every word.

" I wish I could say no "she said sadly " There were a few times where i got annoyed when he was drunk and when i would try to leave he would do something like that" she said and he knew to leave it at that and not to push it any further, she had told him enough for now and she would tell him more one day, when she was ready. " But that's all in the past".


	12. MORALES

Ten minutes later they pulled into Abbies driveway and after he led her into the house like the true gentle man he was bred to be they walked into the apartment, Crane made his way into the bedroom where he began to remove his boots while Abbie stepped into the kitchen to check the time. She glanced up the clock that hung on the back wall, it read 10.47pm. She walked down the hall to her room and found Crane placing his boots with his other clothes.

" I think it's about quitting time " she said collapsing onto the bed " But first i'm gonna have a quick shower" she sat up and started taking off her shoes.

" Leftenant, would it be alright if i also had a ' shower'" he asked " After you of course" he clarified.

" Yeah sure i'll be two minutes" she said slipping off her shoe, jumping up from the bed and grabbing a few items of clothing. She walked into the bathroom and a second later popped her head around the corner " Don't do anything stupid" she joked before shutting the door behind her. He chuckled taking off his coat and placing it with his other belongings. He took a seat on the bed and sat quietly listening to Abbie singing in the shower and realised quite ironically the song was about singing in the shower. He went over to his suit case and pulled out his sleeping attire which consisted solely of the flannel pants Abbie had gotten him. He sat back down on the bed folding and unfolding the pants until Abbie appeared from the bathroom. " All yours" She said walking over to her drawers and pulling out a pair of socks. He walked into the bathroom and prepared to take a shower, since staying with Abbie she had insisted that he wear a ' shower cap' whilst showering so he didn't get his hair wet. He struggled for a while trying to get all his hair into the strange contraption, hanging his head upside down and to the side before he finally gave up. " I can't do any of this " he muttered under his breath but because he was in a bathroom it echoed.

" What?" she asked from the bed where she had just slipped her socks on.

" It would seem i am in need of your assistance" he called from where he stood.

" Alright i'm coming" she said getting up from the bed and making her way into the bathroom " I'm coming in" she said waiting a few seconds before walking in. She walked in and found him shirtless hanging his head upside down trying to get the shower cap on. She bursted out laughing making her way over to where he stood. " Okay" she said trying to stop laughing " Kneel down" she instructed still not being able to cease her laughter, within seconds she had the shower cap on his head with all his hair inside.

" Thank you Leftenant" he said standing up straight.

" No problem, you got this" she asked pointing towards the shower.

" I do .. 'got this'" she said imitating her modern term which only had her laugh harder.

After he had finished in the shower and gotten dressed he emerged from the bathroom to find Abbie sitting on the bed phone in hand, he stood awkwardly not sure whether he should lay on the bed like she had said last night or on the mattress so he cleared his throat to make his presence known.

She heard him clear his throat so she put her phone down on the bedside table and turned over to face him. He was standing awkwardly and his fingers were twitching which was a tell he was unsure of where he should sleep. She moved over and threw the covers back making it clear that he should sleep on the bed, immediately he took a step forward and layed down next to her. For a while they lay in silence neither making a sound.

" Leftenant?" he asked breaking the silence. She looked over to him waiting for him to continue. " What does detective Morales want from you?" he asked.

" Probably to get back together" she said.

" And that is why you told him you and i were living together?" he asked.

" Yeah, that and the fact that we are pretty much living together" she said " Thats okay with you isn't it? you know people knowing that we are living together?" she asked, it wasn't until then that she had even thought how his eighteenth century mind would react to her telling people they were living together.

" Of course" he said. They both went quite seemingly not knowing what to say.

" We should get some sleep, gotta get up early tomorrow" she said yawning and moving closer, placing her head on his chest not bothering to ask this time because she already knew what his answer would be.

" Indeed we do" he agreed yawning himself as he put his arm around her waist and placing his hand atop hers intwining their fingers and again she got that that feeling of security she only got with him. He layed eyes closed with her by his side and couldn't help but think that that was how things were suppose to be, that maybe everything they had done and everything that had happened had been leading up to now, to this. That's when he heard it, footsteps in the hall out side the door, at first he wasn't alarm thinking it was just Jenny after all she lived here too but as he listened he realised they were to heavy to belong to Jenny. He opened his eyes not moving except to pull Abbie closer to him when the door opened and a figure stood in it the light portraying it's owner.

 _BLOODY HELL, Morales._


	13. THE EXPLANATION

Crane sat up on the bed keeping Abbie by his side not yet letting down his gaurd. " Detective what are you doi." he asked before Luke cut him off.

" SHUT UP" he demanded. To this Abbie woke up and once she realised who was at the end of the bed she scrambled back into Cranes arms. She looked up to Crane then over to the intruder and now that she was thinking clealy she knew what to do. She jumped out of the bed and grabbed her gun off the bed side table.

" GET ON THE FLOOR" she said pointing the gun at the intruder.

" Why, what are you gonna do shoot me? you wouldn't, you couldn't" said Luke with a smirk.

" You wanna bet?" she said " HANDS ON YOUR HEAD AND GET ON THE DAMN FLOOR!" she demanded. By this point Ichabod had gotten out of the bed and found his own gun and a pair of hand cuffs from Abbies uniform and he now stood weilding the weapon in and one hand and the cuffs in the other.

" Do as Miss Mills has instructed you or i will shoot you myself" Said Ichabod.

" Are you serious ' professor'" he mocked " i'd like to see you try". Ichabod inclined his head to Abbie begging her to let him shoot the man but just as he did he saw her lips form his name.

" CRANE LOOK OUT!" she yelled as Luke started running towards Crane ready to take him down, she was about to shoot when Crane reached forward grabbed Luke by the shoulders and with the help of his right leg he flipped the man over his shoulder causing him to crawl up into a ball on the floor.

" Nice one Crane are you alright?" she asked making her way over to where he stood.

" I am quite alright Leftenant" he said.

" Where the hell did you learn to do that" asked Morales sitting with his back up against the wall.

" As i told you when we first met i fought in a war which i prey never repeats it's self" he said clearly adgitated, he turned back to Abbie. " You couldn't have just shot him?" he asked.

" No i like my job" She said with a smirk. Crane took a step to the side giving her a clear view of the man who should have still been curled up in a ball but he wasn't.

" CRANE DOWN!" she said pushing him out of the way and raising her weapon, without thinking she fired two shots, one knocked the gun from Morales hand and the second went straight into his arm. She knelt down next to Crane. " Are you okay?" she asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

" JESUS" he cried out covering the wound with his hand.

" You are extremely strong for your size" he said looking up at her. He looked over at Morales " Is he going to be alright?".

" Yeah he'll be fine and i'm gonna ignore the fact you just called me short.. for now". She said and before he could respond she was off the ground and at her bedside table phone in hand. She dialled Irvings number and after three rings he picked up.

" WHAT THE HELL IS WITH YOU MILLS SISTERS ALWAYS CALLING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!" he asked obviously adgitated and making no effort to hide the fact that she had woken him up.

" I need you to come over to my house " she said " quickly and bring medics".

" Wait why, is everything okay, are you and Crane okay?" he asked in a softer tone and she could hear he was moving around.

" Yeah me and Crane are fine but i can't say the same for Morales" she said and he could hear she was smiling a touch at the end.

" What is Morales doing at your house?" he asked walking out his front door keys in hand.

" Long story" she said with a sigh " just get over here quick".

" Okay i'll be there in 1o with the medics " he said jumping into his car and ending the call

" Okay " she said walking over to where Crane stood watching Morales, he sat hand cuffs to the end of the bed " I called Irving he's on his way with medics".

" Well in the mean time i do believe that Detective Morales owes us an explanation" he said turning to face her.

" You got that right" she said making her way to stand next to him. " MORALES" she said getting his attention" WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE". The intruder turned to face her, a disgusted look on his face.

" Why?" he asked " I wanted to know why you chose this guy over me" he said using his good arm to point at Crane.

" Are you serious?!" she said her frustration clear " How many times do i have to tell you, and everyone else that me and Crane are not together".

" Oh please" he spat " You two are always together, when your around each other it's like the whole world disapears, you two are living together and i don't know if you remember but i just walked in on you two sleeping in the same bed and not to mention that when you saw me you didn't go straight for your gun, no you ran straight into his arms!".

She paused for a moment realising that it really did look like they were together, how was she going to explain that.

" Okay one it's complicated and two even if we were dating which we are not it still wouldn't be your business and i wouldn't have to tell you anything which does not give you the right to break into my house in the middle of the night!" she said anger bubbling up inside of her. She turned around and took a few steps forward Crane following her with his arms behind his back, he bent down to whisper into her ear.

" What shall our next course og action be?" he asked. She looked up into his eyes. " Coffee?" she asked " It's going to be a long night". He looked down to her then over to Morales then back to her " That sounds like a lovely idea" he said with his charming smile that melted her heart.


	14. THE GRAND APPEARANCE

**SORRY ABOUT NOT POSTING LAST NIGHT I HAD ITALIAN HOMEWORK AND SEEING AS I CANT SPEAK ITALIAN I HAD A LONG NIGHT WITH GOOGLE TRANSLATE**

Ten minutes later they sat on the couch in the living room. He was sipping his coffee and she lay asleep her head resting on his shoulder when he heard a knock at the door. " It is unlocked" he called from where he sat not daring to move fearing it would wake Abbie from her much needed sleep. Irving entered slipping his shoes off and leaving them at the front door, followed by two medics who both followed his example. He walked over to the pair sitting on the couch Ichabod looked up from his mug and smiled. " Good evening Captain" he said deciding to risk getting up from his seat, Once he was off the couch he placed his mug on the table and closed the distance between the two.

" Seriously you couldn't have put a shirt on?" Asked Irving.

" If you must know i was attempting to sleep when your detective broke in and i have not yet changed into my day wear" he paused " But for more pressing matters i will show you to detective Morales".

" What about Abbie?" he asked turning back to her still sleeping peacefully on the couch.

" Miss Mills fell asleep before you arrived and she needs the rest, now come with me" he said leading way to the bedroom being sure that Irving and the paramedics were close behind him.

* * *

Abbie had been right it was a long night. After Crane had woken her up they all went down to the station to fill out a breaking and entering report on Morales and they decided to press charges which turned out to be a whole nother thing in it's self so by the time they were finished they only went back to the apartment to get changed and grab some breakfast then they were back at the precinct reporting for duty. After signing in they went into the archives and within twenty of walking in and sitting down Irving burst through the door.

" Guess who made his grand reappearance today? i'll give you a clue he's about yay tall excluding his head!" said Irving obviously agitated, his patience running low after last nights events.

" What happened?" she asked closing her book and placing it on the table beside her stepping out of her chair.

" Three decapitated bodies just showed up in the woods on the edge of town, all of their wounds cauterised coroner says same MO as Corbin and Reverend Knapp" he said starting to pace along the side of the building.

" The horseman" she said disappearing behind a corner.

" Hey did you not just hear me say we have three dead bodies?!" called Irving.

" Yeah i did just give me a minute" she said continuing around the corner.

" Crane" she whispered, gently tugging on his arm " Crane come on get up". He had fallen asleep as soon as they reached the archives clearly exhausted after last night and she figured he needed the sleep so she let him be but now that the horseman had reappeared she needed him up and ready to go. She started poking at his face with her index finger like a five year old saying " Crane" each time she pulled her finger back.

" Come on Mills we have a murder scene to get to" called Irving still waiting impatiently where she left him.

" Crane" she said a little louder, this time shaking his shoulder. This time he woke up shooting up from where he was resting his eyes shooting open.

" Hey, woah Crane it's just me okay it's alright " she said putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her confusion written all over his face.

" Yes of course, Leftenant is everything alright" he asked.

" Kinda, three decapitated bodies were just found in the woods all cauterised same MO as Corbin and Knapp so i'm thinking we should go check it out to see if it's the work of a certain horseman" she said.

" In that case me shall make haste" he said getting up off the couch and patting down his coat. She smiled and led him around the corner.

" About time i was about to send a search party" Irving said sarcastically. Crane looked over to Abbie the confusion clear on his face.

" Surely he doesn't mean?" he asked.

" I'll explain on the way " she said with a smile a smile that he cherished as he did all of her smiles he knew he was privileged to see them as often as he did and he was forever grateful for it.


	15. I THINK HE KNOWS

_**SHORT CHAPTER SORRY MIGHT GET ANOTHER UPLOADED TONIGHT**_

The scene was gruesome, the three bodies were positioned as if they were just flung randomly around the small clearing of trees and the heads were all missing leaving no room to mistake that this was definitely the work of the horseman but what they couldn't figure out was why, why had he waited this long to start killing again, was there a hidden message in these deaths, did they lead to something bigger or were just random and meaningless.

" You think he knows?" asked Abbie turning from the scene to face her partner.

" To what may i ask are you referring to?" he asked.

" You think he knows about Katrina being you know.. dead?" she asked careful to make sure no one heard her, after Katrinas death they had told everyone she had left Ichabod for someone else and left town so they didn't need anyone realising she was actually dead and that it was Ichabod who killed her.

" I think it would be safe to say that he does indeed know" he said dread written clearly on each of his words. She knew he wanted to say something else just by the way his last word stuck around in the air between them.

" What is it?" she asked taking a step towards him.

" What oh it's nothing" he said unconvincingly turning away from her to face the horrific scene in front of them. In truth there was something else but he did not wish to burden her with yet more fear.

" Oh come on do you really think that'll work with me? what is it?" she asked stepping into his view placing a hand on her waist and waiting for him to tell her the truth. He looked down at her, she looked so determined and she was definitely.. strong willed and he supposed she needed to know about it eventually and it never worked out them keeping secrets from each other even if it was for the best besides she was a strong woman certainly one of the strongest people he had ever met.

" Well.. what if he comes after you?" he asked fear written all over his words.

" What? why would he come after me?" she asked but as soon as the words left her mouth meaning dawned on her " Because of him seeing us asleep on the couch" she said answering her own question.

" And he might think that what happened to Katrina wasn't an accident instead a way of getting her out of the picture so we could be together" he said smiling and nodding his head at a passing officer so he wouldn't pay attention to their conversation.

She looked up at him with worried eyes but even then she was masking her true fear at least while they were in public she would keep a brave face. " Well there goes the idea of you going back to the cabin anytime soon" she joked trying to lighten the mood of their conversation.

" I suppose it does doesn't it" he said with a weak smile he too could only go so far to hide the fear rising in his chest, the fear of losing her.


	16. THE RITUAL

They spent the rest of the days in the archives trying to see if the death had any kind of ritualistic or spiritual meaning that could lead to some bigger apocalyptic plan that the horseman had but they couldn't fins any useful information that they hadn't already figured out. It was ten-forty-five and she was ready to call it quits, she looked up from her book and saw he was reading the same book he had been reading all day and it confirmed her suspicion of him being distracted.

" What's on your mind?" she asked placing her book on her lap.

He shook his head and looked up from his book to her as though he was trying to shake off a dream. " What do you mean?" he asked.

" Well you've been reading that same book all day and i haven't seen you flip the page once so i ask again what's on your mind?" she asked moving from her chair to the one next to him.

" Miss Mills have you been watching me?" he asked with a sneaky smile.

" Mr Crane please stop trying to change the conversation" she said mimicking his voice. He looked up at her his face gone completely serious and his eyes full of dread.

" Miss Mills if it is alright with you i would like to have a little bit more time to think about all of this, to determine what it all means before i tell you what has been bothering me " she said his tone full of worry and pain and guilt and overpowering dread.

" Of course" she said reaching a hand out and placing it on his shoulder " When your ready you can fill me and you know i'll listen? right?" she said.

" Of course" he said with a weak smile. He placed his book down on the table on the opposite side of him to Abbie and turned his body to face her. " For now though would it be alright if we went home?" he asked. She couldn't help but to smile when for the first time he called it home not her apartment, finally he was getting comfortable.

" Sure i was just thinking the same thing" she said stepping up from her chair and reaching for her jacket. She slid it on in one smooth motion and watched as Crane did the same before they made their way out to the parking lot and into her car.

The drive back home was silent but he didn't even notice he was too busy thinking about the page he had been reading and re-reading all day. If it was true and the horseman knew about it then it meant that Abbies life could be in danger.  
" Leftenant " he said breaking the silence.  
" Yeah?" she asked not taking her eyes off the road.

" I must confess to you what has been bothering me all day" he said.

" Okay go ahead" she said relived that he was talking to her about it, when things got really bad he sometimes had a habit of closing himself off from the world and keeping it too himself until he blew so the fact that he was speaking to her about it meant a lot to her.

" The book that i have been reading today speaks of a ritual in which a demon can bring someone back from the dead by swapping their life for another " he said hoping that she gained his meaning and that he wouldn't have to go into greater detail.

" Okay and that has you unable to concentrate because?" she asked not yet seeing what he was getting at.

" It only works if the person has taken the place of the deceased" he said turning his head to face her. She drove silently trying to figure out what he meant but it still didn't seem like that big of a deal that was until she thought about everything that had happened.  
\- he had woken up in a new century and together they had grown to have a friendship stronger than any she had before  
\- they fought off the apocalypse just the two of them until Jenny and Irving  
\- then Katrina had come back and caused a lot of problems to say the least,  
That's when she put it together in a way she had taken Katrinas place when she was gone and now that she was gone again it might be seen that she had done the same thing.

" You think the horseman's gonna try to kill me to get Katrina back?" she asked meaning dawning on her.

" Yes" he said weakly as they pulled into the driveway. She pulled her keys from the ignition and sunk back into her chair.

" Do you think he knows?" she asked against all her better judgement. He unclipped his seat belt and turned around to fully face her.

" I believe he knows but i don't think he knows that killing you is the only way to get her back" he said.

" Okay and why do you think that?" she asked turning her head to face him.

" I believe that the bodies we found were all failed attempts to bring her back meaning he does not yet realise that you are the only way to get her back" he said.

" Okay" she said " well this is all a little too much for me so i think i'm just gonna have a shower and sleep on all of what you just told me and we can talk more in the morning" she said unclipping her seat belt, throwing the car door open and jumping out of the car. He could see despite her best efforts that she was scared and knew she would never admit it so instead of trying to convince her to talk to him he left it unsaid.


	17. YOU ARE MY SANITY

After they had both had showers they went straight to the bedroom and within minutes she was sound asleep it took a bit longer for him to fall asleep with so much on his mind but eventually he drifted to sleep,

 _and was surrounded by blackness, he tried to run and as he did the darkness started to fade and was replaced by forest and he was running through the forest, crashing through anything and everything in his path. " LEFTENANT!" he screamed knowing where he was " LEFTENANT I'M COMING".  
" CRANE" she screamed her voice clearly pained.  
" I'M COMING!" he screamed as loud as he could. ' almost there' he thought. He ran out into the clearing just in time to see the horseman swing his axe across her chest.  
" ABBIE" he screamed running to her as fast as his legs would allow and then suddenly he stopped, he couldn't move he was paralysed and he could see the forest slowly turn to darkness he turned to Abbie who lay dying on the forest floor crying for hi, then she was gone and everything around him was black like an abyss threatening to swallow him. He tried to scream but no noise came out and suddenly he was falling and he could see light starting to crack through the darkness._

He woke up and felt like he was about to hyperventilate, after a moment he regained his composure and slowed his breathing, that's when he realised that Abbie had awoken just as he had. He looked over at her" Abbie, did i wake you?" he asked although judging from her rapid breathing and the amount of sweat on her forehead he guessed she had woken up from a nightmare same as he.

" No" she said.

" Nightmare too?" he asked.

" Yeah" she said looking over to him " It was different, i mean it was the same but it felt different, more real". He knew what she meant he had felt it too.

" Like i was more aware of my surrounding yes i felt it too" he said.

" Do you think it means something?' she asked.

" Since when has anything not meant something more when the two of us were involved, But i also noticed something else that i think may be of some significance" he said turning his body to face her.

" What?" she asked.

" Where the horseman sliced your chest, it is the same spot where he sliced mine" he said siting up to show her the scar although she had seen it numerous times before.

" Huh, so it is, could it just be that he swings the axe at that level so it always leaves a scar there?" she asked.

" I do not believe so, you and are very different heights if he swung at the same level each time then he would have hit your head not your chest" he said.

" Ichabod Crane are you calling me short?" she teased just so she could see him squirm his way out.

" What, oh no i was simply relaying a fact" he said.

" Oh so now it's a fact that i'm short?" she said watching him frantically search for the right words.

" Oh no that's not what i meant, i simply meant to say that my chest is at the height that your head is so if the horseman were to consistently swing at one height then you would have had a different wound" he said.

" Okay, okay don't worry i was just kidding" she said laughing.

" Oh" he said settling back down onto the bed. It was still dark so they could still get some sleep if they were lucky.

" Crane" she said softly.

" Yes?".

" What if the horseman does know and he comes after me?" she asked the fear still evident despite the fact she was trying to hide it.

" Well then i will cut him down" he said.

" But what if you aren't there?" she asked like a child asking about the monster in the cupboard.

" Well if you wish i will not leave your side"

" I wish" she said moving over to lay her head on his chest.

" Then i vow to not leave your side until the horseman has been cut down" he said, he wanted to finish off the sentence with ' and forever after that' but he still wasn't sure if she held the same feelings for him that he held for her so he kept his mouth shut inside moving his arm around her waist and gently pulling her closer to him.

" Thank you" she said softly.

" There is no need for thanks this is just me continuing to honour my vow to never allow anything to harm you".

" Not for that for everything " she said.

" No need to thank me i should be the one thanking you, you are the only thing that keeps me sane in this time" he said sincerely " Now close your eyes, you need to rest".

" Good night Ichabod" she said softly, closing her eyes.

" Good night Abigale".


	18. THE APOLOGY

She woke to the sound of footsteps on the other side of the bedroom door and as she looked down at the floor she could see a shadow in the moonlight. Her first thought was that it was just Crane getting a drink but that was ruled out as soon as the thought crossed her mind because he was lying beside her, then she figured it was just Jenny but as she listened to the footsteps she knew they were to heavy to be Jennies.  
" Crane" she whispered as soft as she could so only he heard her hoping that who ever was out there would think they weren't there and just leave. He didn't respond so assuming he didn't hear her she moved closer this time putting her hand over his mouth incase he said anything before she could tell him to be quiet.  
" Crane" she said, this time he woke and immediately realised something was wrong as her hand was over his mouth he looked at her and she put a finger to her lips before taking her hand away from his mouth instead using it to motion towards the door. He turned his head to the door and saw the shadow moving around just beyond the door, they sat in complete silence listening to the footsteps and watching the shadow as it moved before they heard them stop at the door.

By the time they heard the footsteps stopped at the door Ichabod had come to the conclusion that it was probably just Luke again but he was also ready for the horseman to barge in trying to take Abbie away from him so when the door slowly opened and Andy Brooks stepped through it with his hands in the air he was shocked and relived but he did not yet let his guard down, after all although Brooks held feelings for Abbie his soul no longer belonged to him meaning he could not be trusted. Abbie let out a sigh of relief.  
" Don't shoot the messenger " he said as he stepped through the bedroom door with his hands in the air.  
" BROOKS?! oh thank god i thought you were the horseman or worse Morales " she said sinking back into the bed.  
" Hey Abbie" he said warmly with a smile." Crane" he said not so warmly simply nodding in Cranes direction and turning on the bedroom light " Listen i've got something for you guys".  
" What?" she asked suddenly becoming more weary of his every move.  
" Don't worry i'm not gonna go all ninja on you two or anything like that i'm just here to give you an invitation " he said sensing the sudden tension in the room.  
" An invitation from who may i ask?".  
" The horseman" said Andy coldly not even sparing Crane a glance.  
" It's not gonna turn us into wendigoes or anything is it?" she joked but everyone heard the hidden seriousness of the question.  
" Abbie, i wouldn't do anything if i knew it was gonna hurt you, you know that".  
" I wish i could say i do but last time i saw you you were trying to bury me alive, which begs the question how are you here i thought you were locked away in purgatory"  
" Abs" he pleaded softly.  
" Andy, you have no idea how much i would love to be able to trust you" she said her features softening " But i can't, we can't".  
" I know" he said sadly eyes dropping to the floor " The horseman needs me, that's how i'm here that's why i'm here he wants to know why Katrina has taken away the enchantment that lets his speak without a necromancer".  
The room fell into silence and Ichabod looked over to Abbie who was already looking his way, He gave her a questioning look and she knew what he meant, she shook her head and turned away.  
" Andy, what does the horseman want?" she asked.  
" He wants you two to meet him at his cottage simply to talk".  
They looked over at each other already both on the same page about what to say.  
" NO" they said simultaneously.  
" Sorry Andy with everything that is going on we can't chance it" she continued trying to reason with him.  
" No, i'm sorry" he said not looking up from the floor.  
" For what?!" she asked nervously.  
" For this" he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small fabric bag which he opened covering the two witnesses in a thin blanket of sparkling dust that glistened as it made contact with their skin. She looked over at Ichabod who was looked back at her with worried eyes, she tried to speak but before she could everything faded to blackness. He watched on helplessly as she collapsed onto his shoulder but before he could try to help her he to lost conciousness.


	19. TRUE FEAR

He came back into consciousness but kept his eyes clenched shut as he listened to the voices that sounded like they were coming from somewhere across the room, He immediately knew who the belonged to. He took a moment to put together what had happened, The sheriffs turncoat had thrown some kind of powder over the two of them and he watched as Abbie seemed to collapse next to him before he too had fallen from reality. He couldn't be sure how long he had been asleep before he woke up but what he did realise was that someone most likely Brooks had put his shirt on while he slept.

" How much longer will it be until they wake up?" asked a voice that could only belong to a necromancer.

" Not much longer, it should be any minute now" said Andy confirming his suspicion.

 _Of course, without Katrina the only way for the horseman to communicate would be through a necromancer. He thought._

" Crane " she mumbled still not completely aware of her surroundings.

" Leftenant, ssh" he whispered putting his hand over her mouth. He opened his eyes too make sure that no one heard her and with a quick scan of the room he found who he was looking for. He turned back to Abbie and and motioned for her to look across the room, she froze when she saw the horseman standing a mere 10 feet away from them, it wasn't until then that he remembered the ritual. He watched as her eyes went wide and she scrambled back into his arms.

" It's alright, it's alright" he repeated in a hushed whisper as he gently stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her. She pulled back and looked up into his eyes and as she did he for the third time he saw real fear in her eyes.

" He's gonna kill me" she whispered into his shoulder and he could feel her tears seeping through his shirt.

" I wont let any harm come to you Abbie i swear for as long as i draw breath so will you" He said softly stroking her hair as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

They heard the whispering halt suddenly and she heard the approaching footsteps before both the horseman and Andy Brooks came into view.

" WHAT DO YOU WANT" he spat tightening his grip around her tiny frame. She kept her face buried as she waited for a reply but none came, silence, nothing she didn't know what was going on, she wanted to look up but she was paralysed with fear something which had never before that day happened to her. She squeezed her eyes shut and brought her knees up to her chest until she was practically sitting in Ichabods lap.

" STOP WALKING OR I SWEAR I.." he said before being cut off.

" Or what? There's nothing you could to stop me even if you tried luckily for you i have no intent on harming either of you if you cooperate" said the necromancer.

" What do you mean cooperate" spat Ichabod still not letting his guard down or loosening his grip on Abbie.

" I would simply like to have a conversation with the both of you about Katrina, do you remember her, she's your wife" said the necromancer accusingly.

" You mean you don't know where she is?" he asked.

" No and i would like be enlightened with her whereabouts, unless of course you don't know either.

" I know exactly where she is" snapped Ichabod.

" Well then would you two please join me for a civilised meal where we shall discuss the whereabouts of Katrina" said the necromancer as the horseman began to make his was out of the room Brooks in tow.

He looked down at Abbie, who's face was still buried in the crook of his neck.

" Abbie" he whispered softly. She slowly looked up to him and as she did he took all of her in. She had since stopped crying but her face was still streaked with the remnants of tears, as he looked into her eyes he saw just how terrified she was, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, he could see right through her thickest walls.

" We don't have to if you don't wish to" he said softly looking straight into her eyes. She didn't respond immediately so he knew she was turning the idea over in her head.

After a moment she stared straight back at him. " Do you trust what he says?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and took her hand in his " While i certainly don't trust him or anything he says i do believe in his concern for Katrina after all he is still madly in love with her". She noticed how his expression changed at the mention of Katrinas name but decided it wasn't the right time to bring it up.

" Okay, but the first time of trouble we are out of here okay?"she said pulling back from his embrace.

" You have my word" he said getting up from the ground and extending an arm out to her. She took his arm and pulled herself up off the ground with the help of his arms which was a lot stronger than it looked.

As they followed the horseman and his necromancer through the silent halls of the deserted carriage house they discussed and decided what they would tell the horseman until the reached a room which was set up with an elegant dining table and six chairs equally as beautiful. They took their seats at the opposite end to the horseman, Ichabod of course being a gentleman helped Abbie with her chair.

Once they were all seated the horseman got straight down to business. " Where is Katrina?".


	20. WASHINGTON

" Washington" replied Ichabod.

" What is she doing there?".

" I haven't the slightest clue".

" What do you mean ' you haven't the slightest clue? Do not toy with me Ichabod".

" I mean Katrina left me for another man a few weeks ago, all she told me was that she was going to Washington and not to follow her, i thought she was with you".

The whole table went silent waiting for the horseman to reply.

" And you have not heard from her since she left?".

" No".

Again silence.

" What about your son. have you seen or heard from him recently?".

" I'm afraid my son was born after i was buried and killed before i was awoken, but if your referring to the Horseman of war who so cruely masqueraded as my son then yes and i happen to know where he is right at this very moment".

" Where" said the horseman ignoring everything else that Crane had said.

" He's probably rotting in hell because he's dead, i shot him" said Abbie trying to take at least some of the heat off Crane for a while at least.

" I see" said the necromancer.

She looked over at Crane her hand gripping his forearm ready to run at any moment.

The table fell silent for the third time that night but this time Andys eyes turned from the bottomless black pit to their normal colours meaning the horseman was finished talking.


	21. WHAT AM I DOING?

**SO SORRY REALLY SHORT CHAPTER I KNOW BUT I NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I AM GONNA GO WITH THIS STORYLINE.**

The horseman had heard enough, he released his control on his necromancer and rose from his chair. He watched as the second witness grabbed at the arm of her fellow witness ready to run if he made another step towards her but that was not where he was going. He spun around and made his way out of the dining room and into the hall. He walked down the empty halls of his carriage house and as he walked he replayed what Ichabod had told him over in his mind, he couldn't believe that Katrina would just leave. He wasn't sure how but he found himself in the room that belonged to his beloved Katrina. Even after she had run from Henry after he attempted to bring Moloch into this world at the expense of her life he hadn't dared move a thing waiting and hoping for her return. He slowly made his way over to her bed where he sat on the very edge and for the first time in what felt like an eternity he let a tear fall from his eye.

What was he even doing, he didn't serve Moloch or Henry and it was not his apocalypse to bring and above all else he had lost the only person he cared about, the only reason he had done any of this was for her and now she had run off with some mystery man.

 _What am i doing?_

The question lingered in his mind for hours as he sat silently on the edge of Katrinas bed, deep in thought.

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW AND COMMENT I REALLY ENJOY READING WHAT YOU GUYS THINK!


	22. OUR FIGHT

**Sorry it has taken so long for me to upload a new chapter.**

He woke up and frantically scanned the room looking for Abbie, it only took him a few seconds because to his surprise and relief, she was lying right beside him still asleep. The last thing he remembered was Brooks eyes turning from their blackened state to their normal colour, then the horseman stood from his seat and left the room before Brooks covered them in the glistening dust.

" Crane?"She moaned sleepily.

" Leftenant? Are you alright?".

" Yeah, Yeah fine, how about you are you hurt?" She said sitting up in the bed.

" No I am alright, do you remember what happened ?".

" Brooks ?" She asked although it was hardly a question at all.

" I believe so" he agreed.

" Well it could have been worse".

" Too true" he said " I am thankful you are alright ".

" I'm glad your alright too,

that was a good cover back there, kinda surprised he believed it but, how did you know he would fall for it ?".

" In his time he may be the headless horseman of death but I have to believe that somewhere deep down there is still a part of the man I once knew, the man who once was my most trusted companion, the man who loved Katrina " he said and she could hear the sincerity in his voice, it was the same tone he used when he spoke about the good parts of his life before everything had happened.

" Do you miss him?" She asked but as he looked over to her he confusion written all over his face.

" Abraham?".

" Of course, he was my best friend, he helped become the man I was in my time and the one I am today. My father once told me that a man is not defined by one bad, misguided decision but by the many good ones he has made and by all the people he left behind".

" so you think that Abraham is still there somewhere within the horseman ?!" She asks almost offended.

" no, what I am saying is that, Oh I don't know I guess I just hope that one day the man I once knew and cared for will come back,

I know it is foolish after what happened with Katrina, and that the whole idea of bringing someone back into this time unchanged is utterly impossible, but-".

" I know,

We may be the two witnesses and he may be the first horseman of the apocalypse but it doesn't mean we can't hope". He weakly smiled in agreement.

" I want you to know that my feelings will in no way change my view and feelings towards he horseman, heis after all still your biggest threat".

" Our, the horseman is OUR biggest threat".


	23. SECRETS AND LIES

She dragged Abbie back into the archives as Frank and Irving left to get take out.

" Okay, what is going on with you and Crane? Did he ask you out?" she asked getting excited at the thought of Abbie and Crane finally dating.

" What? No, Jenny how many times do i have to tell you that me and Crane are just friends" she lied, it's not like she didn't want to tell Jenny her feelings for Crane because she really did, she wanted them to be able to talk to each other about that sort of thing and maybe if it had have been someone other than Crane then she would have opened up to Jenny but it wasn't someone else and she just didn't know if she wanted Jenny knowing, not yet at least.

" Oh come on, i've seen the way you two are when your together, like the whole world just disappears and it's just the two of you".

" Yeah, well we're the two witnesses we need our bond to be strong" she said although Jenny knew she wasn't certain of the statement.

" If you say so, it's just, oh never mind ".

" No what is it?".

" Well it's just that ' Just Friends' don't look at each other that way".

Abbie took in a deep breath to give herself time to think about what to say, but it wasn't enough time and so for a moment the two stood in silence.

" Look, i don't know what you think you know but me and Crane are just friends alright, nothing more, i'm going to get something from my desk

". she said and with that she stormed out of the archives.

Ichabod and Frank had been just about to leave when Irving remembered he had left his wallet in the archives.

" I will retrieve it " said Ichabod and before Irving could object he was was out of the car and halfway to the archives.

It had been two weeks since the horseman had kidnapped them and since them he hadn't reappeared leaving Ichabod time to think about what he should do concerning his feelings for Abbie, after all he was fairly certain that she felt the same way and he intended to tell her and he planned to do it tonight once Irving and Jenny had left leaving him in a good mood. He hummed the song Abbie always sang in the shower as he approached the archive door almost skipping but stopped when he heard Abbies raised voice, he knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself from listening. He leaned in so his ear was up against the door.

" Crane and i are just friends alright, nothing more, i'm going to get something from my desk".

He was pushed back as the archives door swung open with him behind them, he pushed himself up against the wall in an attempt to stay hidden and stayed there until the door swung back and Abbie had crossed the street.


	24. FROM THE SHADOWS

**SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER I JUST MOVED STATES AND WAS WITHOUT MY COMPUTER AND WIFI FOR LIKE 3 MONTHS.**

He was at a total loss for words, he had been so sure that Abbie had felt the same way he did and to hear her say those words, It shattered his heart into a million tiny pieces and he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to mend them back together. He crept out of the corner he had been trapped in, Slowly creaking open the door and stepping inside, scanning the room for any sign of Jenny. He had one mission and one mission only that was to get in and out as discretely as possible. But he knew his cover was blown immediately when he heard a familiar voice.

" Crane? what are you doing back so soon, weren't you and Irving going to get coffee?".

" Uh Miss Jenny.. Uh yes we were, but apon arrival in the motor 've-hicle' Mr Irving came upon the realisation that he had forgotten his ' wallet' ".

" Right, well, okay" she said scanning the room until she saw Irvings stuff, she took the three steps between her and the table that Irvings belongings were on and grabbed his wallet from the pile. " Here we go" she said reaching her arm out to give it from him but right before he had it she pulled her arm back leaving the wallet just out of his reach. " How long were you standing out there?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and she watched as his eyes saddened losing there vibrant colour and as they stopped pulsing with the hope that once lived there.  
" Long enough to know that she does not share my true feelings for her " he said sadly.

" Crane, don't worry about that she was lying, she thinks she's too cool to show it but she is so into you" she reassured him.

" I wouldn't be so sure, I heard what she said she sees us as just friends".

" Oh please i don't believe that for a second, the way she looks at you, they way she talks about you, the way that when you guys are together the whole world just dissolves and it just becomes you and her".

" You've been watching us Miss Jenny " he teased.

" Ever since i got out of tarry town" she responded but to his surprise she was completely serious.

" Crane?" asked Abbie as she walked into the archives startling both Jenny and Ichabod " I thought you and Irving went to get coffee".

His gaze shot up to the woman standing in the threshold of the archives and he was at a complete loss of words, For the first time in his life Ichabod Crane was speechless.

" Leftenant" he said quickly nodding his head and rushing past her trying to avoid eye contact. Once outside the archive doors he quickened his pace to just short of a sprint and didn't stop moving until he had reached Irving's car.

Abbie turned around to Jenny with her brows furrowed.

" What was that about? he seemed upset".

" I have no idea" Jenny lied.

" Jenny?" Abbie asked obviously not convinced.

" Honest i have no idea i think he just want's to get to Starbucks before they shut".

Abbie knew something was up but she also knew that if Jenny didn't want to tell her she wouldn't so she let it go instead she just stood eyeing her sister for a while before sitting back down in her chair and continuing her research from earlier.

 **I KNOW IT'S NOT A LONG CHAPTER BUT I AM JUST GOING THROUGH AND EDITING WHAT I CAN BEFORE CONTINUING ON NEW CHAPTERS I AM GONNA TRY AND GET A NEW CHAPTER UP WITHIN A WEEK AND GET A MORE COMING OUT REGULARLY.**


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